The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm

Last week I followed in fascination as Hurricane Sandy headed north along the east coast and then veered left onto the mainland.  I heard various weathermen use the “Perfect Storm” metaphor in reference to the combination of meteorological events that made Sandy so unusually powerful and destructive.  I was especially interested about its impact on Ocean Grove, New Jersey. 

Ocean Grove has a special place in my family’s history and heart.  My grandmother Lederach vacationed there as a child.  I grew up hearing stories of her family making the trip from her home near Philadelphia to the Jersey Shore (long before Snookie and the Situation made that term infamous) and we have pictures of her as a little girl on the dunes near the beach.  My father then visited Ocean Grove as a child, and in turn took my siblings and me to the same shore. 

Last week as Sandy churned up the coast, I went online and found several pictures of the fishing pier at Ocean Grove.  I have included these below.  The first is a picture of the pier as I remember it from my youth, and the second is right before the storm hit.  As you can see, the waves that are normally a few feet in height are close to topping the pier, which is usually a good 30 feet above sea level.

  

I feel for all the people impacted by Sandy and marvel at the help that is pouring into the hardest hit areas.  When faced with difficult times, as a country, we do seem to rise to the occasion and come together in support of each other. 

HSEHS

Since this weekly email is about our school, you might have guessed I was going to bring this storm home.  You weathered one perfect storm in the first month of this school year when events and circumstances combined to create perhaps the most stressful beginning to a school year that many of you can remember.  You needed to do all of the things you normally do to start the school year: prepare for the first days, learn to know your new students, plan daily lessons, grade papers and assignments, and pretend you had a life outside of school.  Then on top of the normally stressful start to school came the demands of Class SLOs and TEDS.  The Perfect Storm!

The good news is that the initial blast of Hurricane TEDS has moved on.  The bad news is that eventually, just like the Jersey Shore, we will get more stormy weather.  Believe it or not, I am telling you this not to discourage you, but to encourage you and to prepare you.  My experience has been that the stressors of a new evaluation system do tend to come in cycles, but the cycles actually get easier rather than worse.

You will not face another perfect storm again this year, but you are going to feel a bit of the stress of TEDS several more times:

·         In December as you finish up first semester and Class SLOs.

·         After Winter Break as you start up your new classes and work on your Targeted SLO.

·         At the end of the year as we move into testing season (a tsunami all its own), finish the evaluation process, and finish the semester.

Let me repeat: You have weathered the worst of this storm.  I think you will find these next cycles much, much less stressful, but it is better to be forewarned and forearmed.  Do a little planning ahead. Keep in mind that these are times when high winds may blow.

There will be no need to board up the windows and head to higher ground, but you might want to be ready to for the stress—and ask for help when you need it.  When faced with difficult times, as a school, we do seem to rise to the occasion and come together in support of each other.

Have a calm week, HSE.

Phil

A few words of wisdom to end:

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what the storm’s all about.”  Haruki Maruakami

“There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm” Willa Cather

“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.”  Vincent Van Gogh