Desserts

May in North Carolina is absolutely beautiful, isn’t it? The weather calls us to work in our gardens, take a long walk with the family pet, barbecue with friends and family, or simply settle down in a hammock, lounge chair or a beach towel in the grass to read a new novel or article. A day at the lake always brings my family together for a good time.

The beauty of May can easily become overshadowed by the stress of standardized tests. Schools send out messages to remind parents about the importance of daily attendance during testing. Teachers dedicate themselves to preparing reviews and practices hoping to add the final touches to a year of hard work to ensure that each student achieves high growth.  Parents check and double-check alarm clocks to verify wake-up times so students won’t suffer through make-up testing due to a tardy.

Additionally if you have a child who is approaching a major transition – from elementary to middle school or middle to high school or to seventh grade in a brand new school – stress levels elevate tremendously. Is my child really prepared to make this transition? Did we choose the best school? How will we manage the new school schedule? How will the transportation really work?

I can appreciate the stress of this time of year as well. For me, the arrival of May means that the opening of our new school is just around the corner. While I have worked diligently each day to build the best team and cultivate a passion for our school’s mission and vision since November, May has arrived and I am beginning to feel the stress of what still must be done – and the expectations that we have set for the Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy. We have told many candidates applying for a position at our school that we cannot have any mistakes – especially this first year as everyone in the community has their eyes on us!

And then I remember something I learned a long time ago:

STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS!

 I am confident that when we look back on this beautiful month of May we will enjoy the much-deserved desserts of our hard work!

Let’s add another scoop of our favorite ice cream to a cone and enjoy this beautiful time of year.