There seems to be an app for our phones which will enable us to do virtually anything.  Some of these apps seem to be totally worthless, but thousands of people are downloading them, so there must be some type of market.  There is an app (Fake Chat) which establishes a series of conversations between you and a fictional person to make you seem more interesting.  There is an app (Cry) which enables parents to identify the intent of a baby’s cry.  Is the baby hungry, wet, sick, etc.? There is an app (Nothing) which lives up to its name.  This app does nothing but show a blank screen and is supposed to encourage you to stay off of your phone when you are stressed and anxious. 

Fake an Excuse creates a series of background noises/disruptions which would give you a reason to hang up on someone you are tired of talking to on the phone.  Another app (RunPee) will tell you the best time during a movie to go to the bathroom so that you will not miss the most exciting parts of the movie.  The Send Me to Heaven app will allow you to throw your phone as high as you can and will record the height of the throw so you can compete with friends.  I Nap @ Work creates a series of work sounds (keyboard typing, papers shuttling, chair moving, etc.) so you can nap while others are thinking you are working.  There is even an app (Is it Dark Outside?) which will tell you if it is dark or light outside.

There are other apps which seem to be a bit more useful.  Glimmer allows you to take a picture of your favorite scenery and will slowly wake you in the morning by increasing the brightness level of your phone.  Otio will allow you to find places within your neighborhood which will take unused food which can be distributed to those who are needy.  Venmo allows you to transfer money digitally and eliminates the need for checks or the exchange of money.  SafeTrek allows you to push a panic button on your phone when you are in an unsafe environment.  The app will send a 911 call to the police with your location but will not send the message unless you drop your phone.  SleepScore monitors your sleep and provides you an analysis (and a health score) of how well you slept during the night.  If you need it – there seems to be an app for whatever you want.

Recently, I saw a several apps which would evaluate your quality of life.  This concept fascinated me for a variety of reasons.  Virtually all the apps required the user to answer a series of questions relating to personal health, job satisfaction, relationship status, interaction with friends, financial status, religious beliefs, etc.  Although most of the questions centered around the same topics - there were a number of differences depending on the priorities of the creators of the app.  These differences began to make me think.  What would be the algorithms, or the priorities, that I would use to determine my quality of life? 

I suspect there are a number of common priorities that most of us would include in our questions relating to the quality of our life.  Most of us would want to have good health, the financial means to take care of our family, a positive relationship with family/friends, a job which valued our skill sets, a sense of spiritual peace, a sense of purpose/direction, etc.  However, each of us would have a specific set of priorities and would rate certain priorities higher than others.  I actually took the time to list my priorities and attempted to rate them in order of importance.  This was a difficult process because it forces you to think about your core values.  Is spiritual peace more important than financial independence?  Is your sense of purpose/direction more important than the satisfaction you experienced at work?  Is your relationship with your spouse/significant other more important than your relationship with friends?  I hesitate to ask the question if your relationship with your dog was more important than your spouse, but I am concerned that question would only create problems in some homes.   

It was extremely difficult to answer all these questions because it forces you to truly evaluate your life.  The only easy question was the one about the relationship with my wife because that one received top priority.  This was without question, especially since she will read this article.  However, the rest were challenging.  I would encourage you to try this exercise when you have some free time.  It helps you reflect on your core values and determine what is important to you.  I am confident there are no right/wrong answers because each of us have our own paths.  The most important thing gleaned from this exercise may not be our answers.  However, it is very important that our daily actions match our priorities.  If our daily life does not reflect our priorities, perhaps we need to rethink our path and modify our journey so that our life is more aligned with our core values.   

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 are steadily receding, and we have seen a reduction from last week.  This week, we had approximately 31 active cases.   Last week, we had 73 cases, so our numbers have been cut by half again this week.   Of these active cases, 25 are students and 6 are staff.  

2.         We began COVID testing for students last week, and it continues to go well.  The number of cases is decreasing, so there seems to be less demand for the testing.  We have tested nearly 70 students, and 13 have tested positive.  We will continue the testing until we are past this last surge.

3.         We are excited to announce a new dual-enrollment case.  The Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, Integrated Systems Control specialization, is designed to address the changing landscape in business and industry as computer technology is more tightly integrated into the manufacturing world. Industry 4.0, as it is known in many areas, is driving the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) into industrial processes. This new way of conducting business requires a workforce that is capable of operating in the industrial setting as computer systems, networks, sensors, and other technologies tie together machines, factories, and processes to monitor, analyze, collect, and report data at rapid rates. This specialization combines coursework from the Electrical Engineering Technology program with selected courses from the Computer Information Technology program to prepare students for a networked world. It was developed in conjunction with leaders in local business and industry to meet the needs of many employers who require a wider range of technology skills.

This program is open to upcoming juniors and is an excellent way to earn an associate’s degree from Walters State Community College while still attending high school.  In addition, Walters State is making arrangements to ensure the program is free to all qualified Hamblen County Students.  Interested parents/students should talk with their high school counselor if you are interested.  Also, upcoming juniors should register for this program in the spring if they are interested.   The program will begin in the fall and will take two years to complete. 

4.         We have rescheduled our February School Board meeting to February 15 at 6:00 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Central Office.  

5.         We will start the budget process soon.  Parents and community members are encouraged to provide input if they have thoughts and ideas concerning the budget.  Please email Ms. Webb any suggestions you have for the budget, and we will forward those comments to the board.

I am not sure we need to create an app which would evaluate the quality of our life, but we probably do need to reflect on that question.  Quality of life has a multitude of meanings and would not have a consistent value because all of us are different.  However, it may be productive for us to reflect on the quality of our life and determine our core values.   That would be a great start, but the next step of aligning our priorities to be our daily actions would be the most important.  For example, if spiritual peace was our main priority, but we focused the majority of our efforts on gaining financial independence, we may not be content with the life we live.  We have the time to change our relationship to priorities if we have the resolve.  Thanks for your attention to this article and remember, School Matters!