Playing Catch

For almost 37 years of my life, my dad was always there. Not once did I ever imagine that he would not be here on this earth. Sadly in 2008 he left to a better place and there is no doubt in my mind that he is in Heaven. My dad was the greatest father, son, friend, brother, and uncle that anyone could have. He was a kind, loving person; he didn't have any enemies; and he always avoided arguments, especially with my mother [which made him very smart]. Even though he was a man of few words, he was loved by all who knew him. He always treated everyone with respect, even if he disagreed with them. My dad was a great role model, hard worker, and a great teacher. His lessons were always about life and he would often preach to us...

-Hard works pays off.

-Be good to people.

-Respect your elders.

-No one is better than you and you are not better than anyone else.

My dad was super strict and he kept his five children in check, if you know what I mean. Yes, there were plenty of mistakes on our end and he made sure that we would remember them...via the stern look and the belt. Yet, of all the vivid memories I have, one stands out the most…’playing catch’. My dad would get home after work [tired-and-all] and he would still play catch with me. He taught me how to throw a curve-ball and to pitch low and outside. I am sure that if it was up to him, he would have wanted for me to be the next Fernando Valenzuela and ‘yes’ that was my dream too. Sorry dad...the Major Leagues didn't work out but do trust that I am in a great position. I am not a pitcher, third basemen, or play left field for the New York Yankees. Instead I am the proud Principal of Rio Hondo Jr. High. I have a very difficult job...to help mold young lives, just like you molded us. This position is not about me and will never be...instead, it is about kids and making their dreams a reality. I often wonder...why can’t the next President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Dr. Juliet Garcia, or Roberto Aguayo come from the halls of RHJH? Why not? Are we helping kids achieve their dreams? Are we giving them the skills they need to achieve those dreams? Are we creating learning environments that challenge our kids? Or...are we missing the big picture? One final question, did my dad fail because I am not in the Major Leagues? The answer is ‘no’; he along with all my teachers, gave me the skill-set that I needed to succeed in life. Little did my dad know that ‘playing catch’ would inspire me to dream. Thank you dad and until we meet again, I will be ‘playing catch’. -Your son, Asael Ruvalcaba

*This post has been modified from original of January 11, 2015.

Expect Nothing In Return

My parents taught me a very important lesson early in life. The message was clear and simple: “Always try to help people; do it out of kindness and expect nothing in return.” Honestly, as a teenager I probably didn’t quite understand the concept but regardless my parents made me practice that lesson. They made me mow yards for free. Every month I would mow four yards and even though I was expecting nothing in return...I am here today to tell you that I have received something return. I have been blessed...blessed with a great family, great kids, great friends, good health, and a great job. If you don’t know by now, trust that one good deed is always followed by another.

This year during the Random Acts of Kindness, which coincided with the month of February, we had four students who went out of their way to acknowledge our custodians. These girls decided to give our custodians a heartfelt Valentine’s treat and just like me...they were expecting nothing in return. Our custodians were overwhelmed with tears of joy. Fast forward to this past Friday...I received a phone call from our superintendent to inform me that one of the custodian’s son was so moved by our students’ kindness, that he wanted to show his appreciation. Army Specialist Eli Mata, came over to our campus and treated our girls with some Papa John’s Pizza. Our girls were surprised and honored. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect this. Their original intent was to be kind; nothing else.

I have said it once and I will say it again, I have only been here for less than a year but I can say that this act of kindness has been one of my proudest moments as the leader of this campus. There is no doubt in my mind that we will have other success stories but this one will always stay close to home [literally]. Thank you [Elvira Ortega, Anamia Duran, Xitlali Coyote, and Diana Godinez] for the reminder. Keep making your parents and our community proud. #RandomActsOfKindness #ProudPrincipal #BeKind

Carpe Diem

I have been in education since the fall of 1993. I was a teacher for twelve years and have been in administration for the past 10 years. Looking back, I still recall using chalk on a green chalkboard. I also recall using a mimeograph (it’s a copy machine that used blue ink and had a funny smell). There was also projector of some sort that operated on 5,000 watts (which could have also served as a microwave). The internet was barely in its infancy. If you wanted to look up any sort of information you had to go to the library and go through a card catalog just find a book. Grades were calculated by hand and by using the EZ Grader glider and they were posted on an actual Grade Book. There was no email, no Facebook, no Twitter, no iPods, and cell phones were priced at $4,000. It would be an understatement to say that times have changed.

Recently Los Fresnos CISD adopted BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)…which even at the time was against school policy. When BYOD was tossed around as an idea…it was met with some resistance (I was one of them). Regardless of my beliefs on BYOD, I had to change and embrace it. So, rather than wait for BYOD to come to Resaca MS, I seized the moment and I requested it. In May 2013, we became the first middle school in our district to implement BYOD. Yes, most teachers were hesitant and were not keen on the idea but we had no choice. Trust me, no one likes change…but now looking back at 1993, I am glad that we have evolved and adapted to our changing world.

Even though our society has changed, there has been one constant denominator in education…to create productive citizens. Whether it is in remote villages in Mexico, towns in Europe, and/or cities here in the greatest country in the world, the United States of America…teachers, past and present, have always shared this mission and our greatest joy and satisfaction is when that one child comes back and tells us that he or she is making a positive impact on society. Well, how rare it is that we have students in our present classrooms that are seizing the moment. These students, if given the opportunity, the right environment, and the inspiration are ready to take on the world. They do not have to wait 20 years and we should not make them wait.

Which brings me to one of the most inspirational stories that I have been a part of. What happened at RMS in 2014 was the perfect storm. A collision of visionaries occurred between a little blue bird called Twitter, a challenge by Verizon, a fearless teacher [@mrsbolado], and a special group of kids who were ready to take on the world and make it better. At first the idea was modest…to assist a visually impaired classmate. Their app concept was simple, to help Andres navigate through the halls of Resaca MS. No sooner did they realize that this app design [Hello Navi] could not only assist their classmate but also help other people around the world. Wow! Yes [stop scratching your heads] eleven and twelve year-olds created this. This is a testament to everyone that our youth is ready...ready to take on the world...and we, as educators, should be cultivating and sustaining “real” learning environments.

As some of you might know, this story received national and international attention. The full impact of the story has yet to unfold...and to think that it could be traced back to Resaca MS leaves me speechless. Jackie Robinson, the famous #42 once said…”A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”. Congratulations Hello Navi! You have impacted us and the world in ways that you cannot even imagine. Thank you for seizing the moment, for the incredible journey, and for making the world a better place.