No Diet Pepsi on the Back 9

Recently I celebrated my 51st birthday.  I am not one that puts much stock in age, and for years would say things like, age is just a number.  But this year, something clicked in my mind about turning 51. Not unlike a round of golf, I am on the back nine of my round.  Hopefully, I am just making the turn.

 

With my birthday and the realization of my own mortality, I took a little inventory about some of the choices that I make in my life.  I would like to think that I lead a pretty good life, and, in general, make relatively healthy choices – with one glaring exception – Diet Pepsi.  Most teachers drink absurd amounts of coffee, but I was never a fan of hot beverages, so I turned to Diet Pepsi.  Whether it is 8:00AM or 8:00PM, it did not matter – a nice cold DP was my beverage of choice.  With my birthday, I have decided that the DP has got to go.

 

This may seem like too personal a reveal for a blog of this nature, but it struck me that my decision to cut Diet Pepsi and the connection to my birthday, is not dissimilar from the start of a new school year.  As the students prepare for the coming school year, they too can take inventory of their academic lives.  In the opening days, I will share my decision, and will challenge them to start the year making a conscious choice to make a change in their school lives – for some it will be to avoid speaking out in class, and for others it will be to speak more.  Regardless of the choice, occasions like birthdays and specific calendar events provide opportunities for change.

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