Lessons Learned

I listened this morning to the BYU Devotional Speech that Pres. Thomas S. Monson gave on September 15, 2009.  He spoke about presidents of the LDS Church who had come before him, telling of their favorite hymn, favorite food, and a certain principle that guided them. 

He spoke of Heber J. Grant and his persistence:  "He was a persistent person. As a boy he wanted to learn how to throw a baseball. He was not as good as he desired to be, so he practiced hour after hour throwing the ball at a target marked on the barn door. He became very proficient. He also was a poor penman, but through extensive practice he developed beautiful penmanship."

It would be wise for all of us to learn from those who came before us...and realizing the uniqueness of each. 

Getting to Know You

I listened this morning to the BYU Devotional that Pres. Thomas S. Monson gave on September 15, 2009.  He spoke about a number of prophets of the LDS church and lessons we could learn from each one. 

As Pres. Monson spoke I had an idea.  I felt it would be fun to have outside each teacher's door a picture of the teacher in a frame with the following information about the teacher:

• Favorite book
• Favorite food
• Favorite song
• Favorite quote
• Guiding life principle

It might also be fun to have a book kept in the library with stories about each teacher.

Esperanza As a Light

I listened this morning again to the BYU devotional speech given by Pres. Thomas S. Monson on November 1, 2011 about being a light.  President Monson used Webster's definition of light as "something that illuminates." He said that just as turning on a light switch in a dark room will bathe the room in light.

It is my hope that Esperanza can be a light and illuminate on how to help Hispanic learners reach their academic potential. 

Message from "The Lion King"

This morning I listened to the BYU Devotional Speech that Pres. Thomas S. Monson gave on November 1, 2011.  In his speech he quoted from the Disney movie "The Lion King" -- advice Mufusa gave to Simba and related it to students about reaching their potential in life.
"Look inside yourself Simba, you are more than what you have become. Remember who you are," Mufusa said.

This is something we want to remember and to say to our Esperanza educators and scholars every day not only with our words but also with our actions.