"Life is Like a Cup of Coffee"

During the mission trip to build a school in the Dominican Republic, I had the opportunity to meet seven wonderful North Carolina School Administrators. Among them was Mr. Mark Sale (@JohnMarkSale). Mr. Sale serves as the Principal of Swain Middle School. He and I had several conversations during the trip and I found in him a kindred spirit. He is dedicated to the children in the school he serves, his family, and to making the world a better place. I recently received an email from Mr. Sale that resonated with me. I asked him to share a portion of it and the video clip he linked here in this blog. He graciously agreed. Please enjoy a few thoughts from the far western side of North Carolina:

"I traveled to China a couple of years ago to help begin a collaborative project with our school here in Bryson City. While I was there, I stopped drinking coffee because the quality wasn't what I was used to and I was becoming somewhat addicted to it. I would have a cup every seven or eight months, but that was all. And then I drank the coffee in Constanza. It was everything a cup of coffee should be and one cup was all that was needed to start the day.

Since Constanza I find myself drinking coffee more. Very rarely does the coffee of Bryson City (or even Starbucks) measure up to the coffee of the Dominican, but it is coffee and has its own value. Some cups are better than others. I also find myself thinking of each of you like the sip of coffee in the morning. There are very few things that compare to that first sip. It awakens all the senses and warms the soul. That is how I think of each of you and I think of you often. I found my thoughts sliding back to Constanza and to each of you at mile five of my bike ride yesterday. The thoughts sustained me to the end of the ride.

Now watch the video -- and thanks to each and everyone for sharing coffee with me. Coffee will never taste the same. Keep the email and pictures going too, They help keep my cup full." - Mr. Mark Sale, Principal, Swain County Middle School

Like Mr. Sale, I love a cup of coffee in the morning, particularly on those rare mornings when I get to share it with my wife. After traveling to the Dominican Republic and seeing how happy they are with seemingly so little, I have come to realize that I, too, have worried too often about the cup and not often enough about simply enjoying the coffee.

Memory Mission Evening Reflections

The following quotes and thoughts were shared individually and collectively by the members of the Lifetouch Memory Mission Team in the Dominican Republic during the evening reflections. Some are funny. Some are sad. Some will only make sense to those who were in the room when they were shared. Each represents a moment where friends, who were once strangers, shared stories, thoughts and memories in an effort to understand what they were witnessing and participating in. The people of Constanza received a school. The people on the Memory Mission Team received schooling in the essence of life.

Tuesday, 11/29/11

·  Experiential Learning involves four steps: Experience, Reflection, Insight, and Application.

·  The common themes that were heard when the group introduced themselves using magazine clippings were the importance of: making a difference, faith, family, travel, and the power of public education.

·  There is power in visuals.

·  Time is such a scarce resource!

·  We were encouraged to Show we care!

·  How can we be more intentional?

·  Take the initiative to meet/greet others.

Wednesday, 11/30/11

· We each have different gifts.

· Is it more important to be interested, or interesting?

· Why can’t we do this at home?

· Setting is so important. In some settings, we are more likely to share.

· Don’t hide behind your camera.

· Photographers look into the eyes.

· We are very concerned with doing it right.

· We kind of forget to stop and look around.

· It is hard to really live in the “present.”

· You can look into their faces and see the lives they lead.

· A story was shared of children who live just thirty minutes from the new school who were eating cardboard because that is all that they have to eat.

· It is overwhelming to think about how many people contributed to the day.

· It was great to see the community coming out to see the school.

· We appreciate how well the team worked together.

· You can ‘feel’ the pastor’s vision.

· Speak the things that aren’t as if they are!

· Seeing the walls today was so wonderful.

· Barnabus Notes – Barnabus was a good friend of Paul. He wrote notes of encouragement to Paul. Barnabus notes are written to individuals to encourage them.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

· Thank you to Pastor for bringing Ana to us today.

· Unbelief was expressed at how much work has been completed.

· They do so much with so little.

· Esta mi eschela! – “That is my school!” said the boys on the dirtpile.

· The LiveFeed has been very moving.

· Being a follower is powerful.

· A little girl said to a female group member, “I like your hair. It is better than mine because it is yellow.” This was a very telling statement.

· A child said to another member, “You look like me.”

· The hope is that our non-verbals show our love.

· “What can I do to help?” – we are so appreciative of everyone humbling themselves to fill-in where needed instead of trying to lead.

· Great job! The group is ahead of schedule.

· Spend time with the Dominicans.

Friday, December 2, 2011

· Great day!

· It is impossible to overstate the importance of relationship-building – take time to talk with the kids, take time to play with them.

· One member had the chance to talk with some Dominican men across the street from the school. She asked them if they had kids and they beamed when they said yes. They were so proud to say that they had children who would be attending the school.

· It was obvious when a teacher was great as the class came up.

· It is interesting to see the men on the team show emotion.

· An old man giving out candy said, “We are one people under God!”

· The pictures are a gift to them. You are a gift to them. They are a gift to you. We are just sharing gifts.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

· A small group of team members sang to the rest of the group the song, “Freely, Freely.”

· Our lives have been changed.

· We loved seeing the kids slide down the hill.

· One girl was running down the hill and asked a female member of the group to run down with her. The group member said that she was scared to run down the hill. The girl said, “It’s OK, just do this:” and then made the sign of the cross and ran down the hill.

· Lifetouch folks should volunteer in schools.

· There was camaraderie in the bucket line – everyone was so inspirational.

· Our group leader was asked by World Servants, “How is it going with all of those decision-makers?”

· Thank you for being just people.

· Thank you for being so nice.

· Lifetouch employees have gotten to know each other much better through this experience than they ever would at work.

· Bendy-buckets!

· Dominicans are rich because they do not have the same stress that we have.

· Where does the time go?

· Why can’t we do this at home?

· There is a sense of accomplishment in what we have done today.

· Be a Learner! Be a Servant! Be a Storyteller!

· World Servants tries to be culturally sustainable. They try to ensure that every project is sustained beyond the visit.

Monday, December 5, 2011 – Meeting with Dominican Republic School Administrators

· Struggles of schools here:

o    breakdown of families

o    students dealing with issues at home

o    over-age children in the classroom

o    one of the big problems – at 13, the girls get pregnant

o    children would rather go work in the fields than go to school

o    children lost interest in going to school

o    sharing problems with the families

o    how to involve parents

· At the end of the year they speak to the children about the importance of education.

· They “educate with values.”

· They “do what we have to do.”

· The families come from humble roots.

· They try to help the Haitian students fit into their schools. The Haitian parents are integrated into the community.

· Most important is the human being.

Monday, December 5, 2011 – Evening Reflection

· You exceeded the expectations.

· I am proud to be a part of this group.

· Superintendents, Elementary Principals, and Secondary Principals can work together.

· “There is a season.” – all of us were meant to be here.

· Being at the school today was a Lifetouch person’s dream come true.

· Amazing.

· Sincere appreciation and thank you to those who captured the trip through the LiveFeed, Facebook, and YouTube.

· A song called, “I Want to Leave a Legacy” was shared.

· We are leaving a legacy of opportunity.

· A member said that he had a desire to instill a sense of “Service to Others” in his own children.

· There is power in women and the ladies of our group have shown this to the people of Constanza.

· It is really cool to work for a company that has a heart.

· I loved working with everyone; it was really cool to get to know the Dominicans.

· The Pastor’s wife shared a song with us.

· I feel good about this country because of the folks we have met here.

· We exceeded our expectations.

· Principals are special people – what you do matters!

· This is not the end; it is the beginning.

· When we look at the black shirts with all of the names, we will have a special memory for each name.

· This has been one of the most outstanding trips ever!

· I have never met a greater group of people.

· In this room is incredible passion!

· Thank you to the Pastor.

· It is a blessing to be here with such folks.

· Don’t waste your pain. Don’t waste your story.

"Why Can't We Do This at Home?" - Daily Dominican Reflections

Each night in the Dominican Republic, our mission team of superintendents, principals, and Lifetouch employees gathered together to reflect on the day. The day's work had been long and took it's toll. Quick showers and filling meals helped replenish our bodies, but it was the Evening Reflections that renewed our spirits.

It was tough to be surrounded by such overwhelming poverty everywhere you looked. Knowing that some children did not attend school because they were sent out into the fields to work or because the parents could not afford the small entrance fee hurt. Hearing stories of girls who were married off by the age of 13 and having babies themselves really drained us as we sensed a missing hope for the future. As we looked around and saw the ravages of extreme poverty, it would have been easy to sink into a depressed state ourselves. Nightly reflections though, combatted the negative visuals and stories.

During the nightly reflection our group members shared stories from the day. The stories tickled us, warmed our hearts, and sometimes, yes, broke our hearts. In sharing the big moments of the day, we encouraged each other. We reminded ourselves of the hope we were building in bringing a school into the community. On several nights tissues were passed around as tears flowed. Yet, sharing sad moments became uplifting as arms went around shoulders and hugs were given.

After the sharing of stories and reflections, we had poignant words of encouragement from our team leader as well as a review of the next day's activities. We had relived the day through our stories, been uplifted through a positive message, and were given a focus for the upcoming day. We would leave each night tired and ready for bed, but also excited to continue the work.

During one evening's session, David Loeslie, a Vice-President with Lifetouch, asked the question, "Why can't we do this at home?" The question might have referred to the mission trip - Why can't we build a school at home? Why can't we go into our communities and help others? Those are important questions, but there is a third question, "Why can't we sit down with our families and loved ones each night and simply talk about the day?" That question stings a bit.

I am married to my best friend . We have four amazing teenagers between us. The kids are bright and academically successful. They participate in school sports and are involved in their friends' lives. They are wonderful, interesting people. Yet, in this role of principal, I spend much more time with others than I do with my own family. I am at school almost every night for different academic, athletic, and artistic events. While that truism explains the greatest barrier I have to repeating our Daily Dominican Evening Reflection here in my home, it does not completely preclude it.

One small take-away from this incredible trip, that I was blessed to be a part of, is a renewed commitment on my part to be more a part of my family's lives by having a real conversation with each one on a daily basis.

I have been amazed as this trip has continued to resonate within me. If no school had been built, if no school supplies, toys or clothes had been donated, if no new professional and personal relationships had been birthed, and the only outcome was my having more reflective conversations with my family, then it would still have been a worthwhile, life-changing experience.

Why can't we? We can! Why don't we? Well, that is the question, isn't it?

NC Principals' LiveFeed from the Dominican Republic

North Carolina was well-represented on the Lifetouch Memory Mission to the Dominican Republic. Selected by different associations, the state of North Carolina was represented by 8 public school administrators:

Mark Anderson, Principal, Crown Pointe Elementary School, Mecklenburg County, NC
Toby Cone, Principal, Cove Creek School, Watauga County, NC
Tracy Grit, Principal, Riverside Elementary School, Avery County, NC
Rob Jackson, Principal, Cuthbertson High School, Union County, NC
Mark Sale, Principal, Swain County Middle School, Swain County, NC
Tim Sansel, Assistant Principal, Starmount High School, Yadkin County, NC
Mary Smalling, Principal, Hardin Park Elementary School, Watauga County, NC
Sharyn VonCannon, Principal, Unionville Elementary School, Union County, NC

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, the administrators from North Carolina broadcasted live from Constannza, Dominican Republic. The broadcast is linked here:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/18907871

LiveFeed from Constanza

On December 1, 2011, I had the opportunity to pause in my work in helping to build the new school and share with our school community. This was made possible by a LiveFeed that Lifetouch employees put together for us. In the background you can see portions of the new school and see the work going on.

The LiveFeed appears here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/18863541

Lifetouch Memory Mission Day 4 News Update Video

Paint on the walls, bucket brigades, concrete wheelbarrows, interviews with Lynn, Jodi, and David. In the background, you can see the LiveFeed from the NC principals being set-up

Lifetouch Memory Mission Day 3 News Update Video

Picture Day and Bucket Lines in the Dominican Republic.

Lifetouch Memory Mission Day 2 News Update Video

Tile work, stucco work, block work, and an interview with Unionville Elementary Principal Sharyn VonCannon.

Leading by Serving

Day 5 - Saturday, December 3, 2011

A full day of work greeted us as we arrived at the work site. The building was taking shape. Block walls were closed in. Buckets of paint were pulled out. Rebar was piled up. Windows were stacked up just outside and the team was ready to go.

The week had already been long. Although the weekend had arrived, there was to be no rest on this day. The team was united in its desire to see the building's completion. I found myself marveling at the team and the team's performance. Imagine a team of 50 principals, superintendents, and Lifetouch executives/managers. Every team member is a leader in their professional life and yet, here in this place, each willingly took upon themselves the mantle of a servant.

From the beginning, the Dominicans and their leaders were in charge. Our team looked to them for instruction and guidance. They decided how each step of the building process would be performed. They decided who would do what. In this way, the new school was truly theirs. We simply came alongside them to help them in their work. Painters showed superintendents how to roll paint on concrete. Masons pointed out the intricacies of leveling concrete block to executives. Construction helpers had principals straightening nails to be re-used. Everywhere you looked a Dominican was teaching, guiding, and directing a group of Americans.

Servant Leadership is not a new concept. Too often it is referenced, but not put into practice. As a principal, I believe it is my job to serve the students, teachers, and parents. I am supposed to remove barriers and locate resources. I am to assist where needed and anticipate needs. For a week, I have watched an amazing group fully live out the tenets of servant leadership. I am sure that there were times that a team member might have wanted to suggest an alternate way of accomplishing a task, but instead chose to follow.

As we worked, I was proud to see members complete assigned tasks and then immediately go looking for the next thing to do. There was no slowing down. I watched as team members encouraged each other on and pushed themselves. Their work ethic inspired and challenged me to continue to give my best.

One of the final tasks of the day was to rub down the stucco to prepare it for paint. Each square inch had to be sanded with a piece of concrete block. To reach the ceiling and upper walls, platforms were made from planks and stacks of concrete block. These pseudo-platforms were never  perfectly stable. The team members who climbed up on them to accomplish the work did not have to worry though as their partners steadied the contrivance while they were working. Team members were serving and looking out for each other.

Servanthood seemed to come naturally to the team. They obviously practice serving others routinely. Leading by serving built a school in the Dominican Republic. It truly is the only way to bring a group of people together to accomplish a task using their very best efforts. The truth is that when you serve those around you they, in turn, look for opportunities to serve others. Your initial servanthood inspires those around you to do the same. I know that I have been encouraged by the eagerness and willingness of the team to serve.

The Beauty of a Bucket Line

Day 4 (continued) - Friday, December 2, 2011

After spending the morning helping with Picture Day at another school (see previous entry), we returned to the worksite to continue our work on building the new school. The first task involved pouring concrete to build a roof across the walkway from the main school building to the bathroom building.

The roof was to be made of concrete. The border of the roof is 24 inches deep and 8 inches wide. The roof itself was about 4 feet wide and about six inches deep. The entire roof had to be poured. There was no concrete truck, no truck to pump the concrete. There was only bags of concrete, pile of sand and gravel, buckets and a hand mixer.

The concrete was mixed by hand and shoveled into buckets. The buckets were handed from one person to another along the line and then up a platform and then onto the roof. On the roof, the buckets were passed along to me where I poured the buckets out into the forms. It took over 1,500 buckets of hand-mixed buckets of concrete to finish the roof. It was the hardest physical work I have ever been engaged in. By the end, it was hard to stand up straight and I was very tired, but I was also struck by the beauty of the bucket line.

We had worked in lines throughout the week, moving tiles from one room to another and moving concrete blocks from pile to another pile. Working in a line, passing along construction materials gives you the opportunity to get to now the people next to you. You have the opportunity to laugh and sing. In our bucket line of concrete, I heard people ask each other if they were OK. I saw them take special care to pass the bucket with the handle in the exact position the next person wanted. Care for you neighbor was not just a maxim, it was being lived out in tiny moments up and down the bucket line.

Countless children will walk under that overhang, never knowing how much work it required. I do hope though, that as they walk under the walkway, they feel the joy that went into the construction. I can only describe that line of concrete bucket passers as beautiful. 

Picture Day in the Dominican

Day 4 - Friday, December 2, 2011

The notion of Picture Day at school brings up memories for most of us. I remember being dressed up in my best clothes. My mom would worry about my Picture Day outfit for weeks. On the big day, I would be dressed up in my nicest outfit and my hair would be slicked to the side and off I would go. Our teacher would line us up and we would head to the Auditorium for our semi-annual pictures.

Mom usually bought the middle package and sent my sisters' and my picture out to extended family members. She would take down last year's 8x10 from the frame on the Living Room wall and replace it with this year's. The old one lovingly went into her photo album, a pictorial timeline of our lives. Picture Day was a big part of our lives.

Today, as a Principal, Picture Day does not seem to have the same importance. The introduction of digital cameras gives many the ability to take great pictures any time they want to. The students no longer dress in their best outfits, opting instead for clothing that more closely resembles their daily wardrobe. Still, though, it is a part of our traditions. The student portraits go into our Yearbook and are kept to mark the celebrations of another year.

Imagine a place where children have never seen their picture, ever. In the Dominican Republic, there are no Picture Days. Parents have no valued photos of their children to treasure. For one school, on Friday, December 2, 2011, that changed. The corporate sponsor of the Mission Trip is Lifetouch. Their primary product is Portraits. They take pictures at Cuthbertson, having successfully won that opportunity from our Yearbook sponsor each year.

Lifetouch determined to give one school a Picture Day. The school contains some of the children who will attend the new school we are building. We arrived at the school, the Escuela Manuel Tobias Duran (Manuel Tobias Duran School), and found the members of the Lifetouch team had already set-up blue backdrops. We moved students, class by class, to the photography area outside of the building. They each waited in line to have their picture taken. The children were coaxed to smile, but hen they appeared the smiles were genuine.

We talked and played with the children who were waiting on their classmates. They were a little rambunctious, just like children around the world. After each child and the teacher had their picture taken, we walked them around the school for a group shot of their class. Picture Day had just become "real" for them. I cannot wait until we return on Monday with their picture packages in hand.

Lifetouch employees sent the pictures to their plant in America. Plant workers volunteered their time to process the pictures and a Plant Manager is flying here with the pictures in two suitcases. We will have the opportunity to hand a child their picture. For most, it will be the very first time they have held their own picture.

Picture Day, though a big part of my own school days, has not been something I that really think about. It happens routinely and we move on. It now has more meaning for me. There are parents in this world who would love to have a single picture of their child. In my family, we have hundreds of digital pictures of our children. We are so blessed and sometimes don't even see it.

My School!

Day 3 - Thursday,  December 1, 2011

Today was our first full day on the job-site. We had an early wake-up call so that we could have breakfast at 7:15AM and be on the bus by 8:15AM. Breakfast was wonderful. I did not know what to expect from a Dominican breakfast, but I was delighted to find ham, cheeses, pineapples, mango, scrambled eggs, and mashed potatoes.

By 8:30AM, we had arrived at the school ready for a full day of work. We quickly resumed our masonry duties. Seeing what we had accomplished in a short day the day before helped motivate us as we began our day. It was so exciting to watch the walls grow block by block. The care and passion that went into the work was so obvious. Blocks were removed to be reset when the level indicated that were not perfectly placed. It was so wonderful to watch the other principals and superintendents really get into hard work.

After a full day of laying block, we were incredibly tired, but also incredibly happy. We had taken occasional breaks to play with the kids hanging out on the edges of the construction zone. On one break, I asked one little boy if this was his school. He shook his head and said no. I smiled and said this is your school. We are building it for you. He began to smile broadly and repeated "mi eschela" - my school! It was a beautiful moment and made it easy to really give my all to the work.

If every student takes ownership in their school, if they believe it is their school, they will keep it clean and take care of it. More importantly, they will believe that in their school, they can achieve their dreams. We have often said that we are building hope. This school is theirs. Here they will find a pathway to a bright future.

Is it More Important to be Interested or Interesting?

Day 2 - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Our trip to Constanza was an adventure. The flight from Charlotte to Atlanta and from Atlanta to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic passed without mishap. The second flight was three and half hours long, but after the flight to China and back, it felt like nothing.

At the airport we were greeted by our hosts. We were quickly wisked onto waiting buses to travel from Santo Domingo on the coast up into the mountains. The bus ride took almost four hours. The road was narrow and wound back and forth. Halfway through the journey it started raining making it even harder for the driver to see. The bus seemed to struggle to make it up the grade from time to time. Our driver was determined to make goos time. At one point he was dismayed by how slowly another bus was traveling so he passed the other bus on a two lane road, going uphill, in the dark, in the rain, and in the middle of a blind curve. His American passengers all breathed in sharply and held their breath for some time.

After finally arriving at our quarters, we had a great meal and met for our first evening reflection. As this was our first time together, we didi little reflecting and spent quite a bit of time getting to know one another. The group is primarily made up of principals and Superintendents as well as employees of Lifetouch, the corporate sponsor of the trip.

The morning brought breakfast and an Orientation session. We learned that the town has 90,000 people. The current school serves just over 1,100 students in a 10 room building. It runs double shifts with some children attending during the day while others attend during the evening. Classroom built for 25 students routinely hold 50-60 children.

We were encouraged t spend time developing relationships with the Dominican workers on the project as well as the community members who might be nearby and reminded that while the work is important, the relationships are much more important. It is important that we show that we care.

During the orientation, Jan, a team member, posed the question, "Is it more important to be interested or interesting?" This was such a great question! As I reflect on it, I keep asking myself in life (not just on a mission trip in another country,) isn't it more important to be interested in other people than it is to be interesting to other people? If we were all genuinely interested in others, what would the world look and feel like?

Following the Orientation we boarded the buses to head to the job site. The school's construction was well underway by Dominican workers. Our task this week will be to build the block walls, tile the floors, and possibly paint. They hope to have children in the school in two weeks. It seems like such a daunting task, but how can we build a place that will offer hope if we don't show the power of hope in our actions. After a jobsite orientation by the Engineer, we were assigned our first tasks. I was placed on a mason team. We were charged with building the block walls in the last classroom. We were taught how to level the block, use the mud, tie rebar, and alternate the seams.

By the end of the day, we knew that we would sleep well that night. Dinner was followed by our evening reflection time.  Group members shared how great it felt to be here and shared their concern that they do a great job for the children. The group members are awesome! They are dedicated and passionate and it shows. Clearly, as interesting as they are, they are more interested in those they labor for.

Building a Dream in the Dominican Republic

Day 1 - Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The opportunity to give back in a real, tangible manner excites me. The life I live has its roots in the education I received in the Public Schools of North Carolina. I am able to provide for my family and make a difference in the world because teachers in amazing schools refused to accept anything less than my very best. Their encouragement gave me access to the life I live now. I owe a great deal of who I am and what I have to the education I received in North Carolina's Public Schools.

Today I embark on a journey to a mountain community I had never heard of. I have been told stories of homes with dirt floors and tin roofs. I have been told about students who could not attend school because the nearest one was too far away and grossly overcrowded. Children there have not had access to the education I received. What an amazing blessing it is to be able to travel to Constanza and help build a school for the children. We go to build hope. We go to provide a space for teachers to encourage children to believe in themselves and we go to build a dream.