Believing In Others When They Don't Believe In Themselves

Hello Aspire CCPA,

I hope you all enjoyed your winter break and had some time to rest, relax, rejuvenate, reflect to better prepare for the second half of the 2019-2020 school year.

As many of you saw on social media, my wife (Nioma Lopez-McCoy), father-in-law (Al Lopez), and myself had the opportunity to see Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias live at the Honda

Center over the break. We enjoyed the show from the beginning until the end and laughed until our stomachs hurt. Towards the end of the show, Gabriel shared how he grew up in Long Beach, CA and attended Long Beach Wilson High School. He said he wasn’t a student who normally would go above and beyond for anything that he was content with getting “C’s” and even “D’s” in classes. All his mother wanted for him is to “just graduate” from high school. He said that it wasn’t until his speech teacher, Ms. June Garner, helped him to identify and foster his true gift; public speaking. He shared that it took Ms. Garner almost a full year, a few choice words, and constant conversations for him to believe in himself. With this motivation, he was able to compete in a statewide speech competition where he placed 5th. After the show, Gabriel asked that we give a round of applause and show appreciation to his Ms. June Garner, who was sitting in the front for all of us to see.

Of course, I thought about this on our drive home and it made me think of our students. Students who are ok with doing the bare minimum, and is difficult for us as educators to motivate. This portion of the show was one of my favorites because it is a testament to the work we do and how we are idols and are inspirational to our young people. For some of our students, it is going to take that extra assistance, motivational, and conversations for them to see their true potential. In addition to that, for us to identify their greatest strength.

As we begin our second semester of the 2019-2020 school year, I challenge us all to identify each student's strengths and share with them how much we care. Yes, it is a daunting task for us, but imagine the endless possibilities.

As always CCPA, thank you for commitment and dedication to our students, community, and families. Have an amazing second semester.

Best,

Mike

P.S. please do not use “choice words” like Ms. June Garner when speaking with students. Lol.

M.M.

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