A Note from the Superintendent

January 2010

A Note from the Superintendent

Don't React – Act
Sir Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That may be true, but the real question is, why do we often wait to react instead of taking the necessary first action? Why aren't we proactive when we first see a situation moving out of control, instead of waiting for it to get so bad that we finally don't have a choice?
Take the situation of a child's poor performance at school. As educators and parents, we can see bad habits and sub-par performance developing at a very early stage in the school year, and yet we often wait until the parent-teacher interviews halfway into the term to raise our concerns with each other. Think about how much easier it would be – for us and the student – if we acted when we first knew there was a problem. Taking action can not only improve the lives of those around us, it can also help us better manage our own lives.
Being proactive is the first step to breaking the action-reaction cycle that many of us have learned to live by. It may make us a little uncomfortable to step out of the normal reaction mode that we have adopted, but it also may bring great benefits. Instead of trying to ignore a problem because we are afraid of the consequences, we should simply acknowledge the mistake, correct it, and then learn from the experience.
The next step to being more active in our own lives is to develop and maintain our own plan or schedule. That way we can not only make better judgments as to when an intervention may be in order, but we can also be more effective in planning the timing of any action or project. This also means paying close attention to what's going on around us so that we can identify potential problems or setbacks and make the proper corrections to get back on track.
The final step to moving from reaction to action is being prepared to change. This includes managing our thinking as well as our actions. Our thinking will sometimes make us believe that the rut we have fallen into is actually a nice comfortable groove. But the reality is that if we are not moving forward, we are falling back. And by not taking action, we will simply sink further into the mud. You may find that you need to seek assistance to help you move forward or finally deal with a bad situation that has been allowed to continue for far too long.
The good news about moving into action mode is that it's never too late to change a situation or resolve a problem by taking action. The only question is how much pain your reaction mode cost you. Instead of waiting for the inevitable pain, why not take action today and avoid the negative reaction that is sure to come tomorrow? Why not act for a positive change instead of being forced to react to a negative outcome?

Happy Trails,


Kathleen McNamara, Ed.D.
Superintendent