School Matters January 2022

My buddy and I were sitting by the campfire a couple weeks ago in hunting camp. Eventually the conversation led to the holidays. We talked about Christmas and the New Year. I asked him if he was going to make any New Year’s resolutions. Since we graduated from high school, he has made the same resolution, and I assumed it would be to lose weight again. He said that his goal in 2022 was to encourage all of his friends to gain 50 pounds so that he would feel better about himself!

Last year, approximately 43% of Americans stated they made a resolution to improve some aspect of their life in the new year. This means that 57% did not make a resolution to change anything. This year, approximately 38% of Americans are predicted to make some type of resolution. Most of the resolutions are focused on becoming healthier. Approximately 59% of Americans wanted to exercise more in the new year. Approximately 51% wanted to eat healthier and 48% wanted to lose weight. Over 44% wanted to save more money. About 16% wanted to quit smoking.

With all the resolutions made on January 1, the vast majority of us will abandon our commitments within 32 days. About 75% of us will remain faithful to our resolutions after one week. Of course, this means that a quarter of us will not even make it through the first week. Only 64% are still committed after 4 weeks, and this drops to 46% about 6 months. By the end of the year, only 9% have accomplished their goals. It is also important to note that only 52% of those making a resolution actually thought they would be successful. This means that 48% of us never really believed we would accomplish our goals. Over 35% of Americans stated they had unrealistic goals and really had no chance of success. Over 33% stated they did not monitor their progress after the first few weeks. Over 23% stated they simply forgot about their resolution and reverted back to their old ways.

It is difficult to keep those resolutions. The following are a few ideas which may help us remain faithful.

First, be realistic with your goal. Most goals are not achieved because they are unrealistic and unattainable. Second, plan ahead and think if this is the best time for this goal. New Years is a busy time, and the weather can have a significant impact on specific plans. Third, outline your plan and stick to the plan. Having a plan will serve as a road map. Fourth, make a list of the reasons why this resolution is good and why it could be bad. Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the resolution before making your final decision.

Fifth, share your plans with a close friend who will encourage you to be successful. Goals that are verbalized are more likely to be accomplished. Simply saying the goals out loud to others will increase your chances to be successful. Sixth, establish mile markers along the way so you can celebrate small successes throughout your journey. Seventh, track your progress to see how you are doing. This will help you to adjust the plan so you can make the necessary adjustments. Last, remember there will be times when you slip and will experience some degree of failure. Be positive and do not let those small failures erode your will to be successful in the long run.

Please review the following information and contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Also, please remember to email Mrs. Webb (webbk@hcboe.net) if you have other questions you would like us to address in future articles.

1. Our COVID numbers have risen quickly since returning from winter break. This was anticipated since staff/students gathered from all over the country for the holidays. In addition, the new variant seems to be more contagious. In December, our numbers were around 27 total cases. This week we have close to 70 cases and anticipate these numbers will continue to grow.

2. The CDC/TDH have issued new quarantine guidelines. We encourage individuals to contact the health department or their medical provider for specific directions on quarantine times. The complete summary of these changes is posted on our website, but we have included an abbreviated version for this article.

A student or staff member will quarantine for 5 days when they test positive for COVID. These individuals may return to school on Day 6 if they are symptom free and have no fever. Note: This changes the old quarantine period from 10 days to 5 days.

Fully vaccinated staff/students are not required to quarantine if someone in their home tests positive. Of course, that individual must be symptom free to come back to school. Fully vaccinated means that you have received at least 2 shots (or one shot from Johnson and Johnson) or have received the booster within the past 6 months. You could also be considered fully vaccinated if you received both shots and have tested positive within the last 90 days.

Unvaccinated staff/students should quarantine for 10 days if they are living in a household with someone who has tested positive. Staff and students may return to work on Day 11 if they are symptom free. It is important to note that the quarantine period for this situation has been reduced to 10 days instead of 20 days. There are a number of other specifics which are important to the above explanation and changes. Please visit our website for additional information.

3. We will have a HCBOE staff night out on February 7 as our Celebrate Education program for February. It is our hope that local restaurants will provide a discount, or some other type of inventive, for all Hamblen County School Staff. For example, someone may offer a 10% discount, or a free dessert, for all Hamblen County School Staff on that evening. Please let Mrs. Karlene Webb (webbk@hcboe.netor 423-581-3101) know if you are interested in participating. We will collect all offerings and push those incentives out to all staff members. We sincerely appreciate all of those who are willing to help.

4. We received a grant to provide COVID testing at school. At this point, we are only testing staff members and children of staff members because we have limited test kits, and we must complete some other paperwork before expanding the program. However, it is our intent to provide this service to all students within the next two weeks. It is important to note that we do not have the authority to provide testing to students without parent permission.

Testing is strictly a parental decision, and the parent will have the ultimate decision-making ability. If a parent wanted their child tested, we would require the parent of elementary/middle school children to come to school and actually administer the test. We would provide the rapid test, but the parent would need to administer it. We may allow high school students to self-test if parents give permission to do so, but we will contact all parents to receive permission before proceeding. We will not require or mandate testing, and we will not attempt to persuade parents to test. It would simply be a service we would provide to help parents who wanted to test. The testing would be free, and the results would be immediate. These tests would be similar to the ones we buy locally. This will save parents time and money, but it will be administered on a strict voluntary basis. No student will be given a COVID test without parental permission.

Robin Sharma said, “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” The beginning of the New Year may be a wonderful time to start something positive in your life. It is an opportunity to reflect on your life and determine if your actions/time are devoted to your priorities. If that scale is unbalanced, it may be time to reevaluate your life and make some changes. Vern McLellan said, “What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” Take this opportunity to begin living the life you want to live. Thanks for your attention to this article and remember, School Matters!