September 2020 | Vol. 2, Iss. 1
“What are we doing to maintain a sense of sanity.”~ Luis
As we complete the first month of school, we may ask ourselves what we’re doing to maintain a sense of sanity as we balance online teaching, family constellations, social distancing, and life in general. Sometimes, we need to take a break, come up for fresh air, and ask ourselves a simple question:“How ya’ livin’?”[So I] asked [the] staff, “How ya’ livin’?” The phase [is] adopted from Dr. Rick Rigsby’s enthusiastic speech, Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout. Rigsby referenced lessons he learned from his father, a third-grade dropout and personal mentor who influenced him and his siblings to the highest degree.Despite his success, Rigsby, a former award-winning journalist, a college professor at Texas A&M University, and a motivational speaker, never forgot his father’s words of wisdom, which he now shares with people across the globe. The “How ya’ doin’?” phrase taught him how to enhance his life and make excellence a habit.
“I ask you all one question, a question that I was asked all my life by a third-grade dropout. How you living? How you living? Every day, ask yourself that
question. How you living? Here’s what a cook would suggest you to live, this way, that you would not judge, that you would show up early, that you’d be kind, that you make sure that that servant’s towel is huge and used, that if you’re going to do something, you do it the right way. That cook would tell you this, that it’s never wrong to do the right thing, that how you do anything is how you do everything, and in that way, you will grow your influence to make an impact. In that way, you will honor all those who have gone before you who have invested in you. Look in those unlikely places for wisdom. Enhance your life every day by seeking that wisdom and asking yourself every night, “How am I living?”
RGV LEAD congratulated the Valley educators, business partners, students, staff, and parents for making the most of a trying situation during September as students returned to school. Working together as a team, the Valley schools will open their doors in October, and at the end of the day, when asked how we’re doing, we can answer with dignity,
“I’m doing all I do to the best of my ability!”