The Eight Keys to Success - excuse me - Excellence

Now in the good ol' days school did not start until the week before Labor Day. Summers were filled with working on the farm, roaming around the country side, barbecues, ice cream socials. It was the ideal rural scene. Okay - I am taking creative liberties here. My point is summer vacations used to allow students time to do much more than summer reading and maybe one family trip.

Back in my day all incoming I.B. Freshmen were encouraged to take part in Warm Up Week. From Wednesday to Friday before school started the freshmen and the upperclassmen would gather in the Franklin Library. What students choose to remember from this experience varies.

New People

Awkward

Fun

Enthusiastic

Embarrassing

Inspiring

All those phrases come to mind. Basically Warm Up Week was a way to bond as a class before school actually started. Remember - you can't do I.B. alone.

Activities at Warm Up ranged from the dozens of crazy upperclassmen waving signs and running up to say hello during the welcome period, to the Learning Jar and Mr. Pinkham's Ball Game, to my personal favorite - the Eight Keys to Success (as they were known in my time) or the Eight Keys to Excellence.

There are many different view points as to why we all learned the eight keys, their hand motions, and then periodically were called upon to recite them with Mr./Mrs. Thiele or Mr. Pafford as our drill sergeant. I think they were valuable things to learn before I began high school. Before I go further - let me "recite" the eight keys

Integrity

Failure Leads to Success

Speak with Good Purpose

This is It

Commitment (commitment commitment)

(oo - ah) Ownership

Flexibility

Balance

Each key teaches a great lesson. It is something to add on to your learner profile. Not only should you inquire, be knowledgeable, reflective (etc), but as a successful student you should practice the eight keys. Some are easier than others use on a day to day basis. For me commitment was always the easiest. I have that drive, but flexibility was something that I did not fully grasp until second semester junior year. If something changed suddenly (like a deadline was moved back because no one except for a few was done) I was truly upset. But I finally realized that being flexible is easier than being a stick in the mud! It is so much more enjoyable to blow in the wind, although I am rooted to the ground. To each his own, I guarantee that it is different for everyone.

- sometime soon, we will post a video of us all doing the Eight Keys (since Warm Up Week is no longer on the schedule as we start school in JULY) -