One of the important things for a professional is to measure their words. We have all opened our mouths and placed our foot directly in. This is even more important to be aware of if you open your mouth and insert your foot and potentially offend a supervisor. My most interesting occasion was while I was teaching at Montview. I am a sports nut and so there are a few things I do as a result. Watch a lot of sports, participate until my body said it was over, and read about sports. One of the must reads was always Sports Illustrated. At the time I had a subscription to Sports Illustrated and the Hockey News. I read them cover to cover every week. I did have a subscription to the Smithsonian Magazine for my intellectual side. One Sports Illustrated magazine article sent me over the edge. It was about hockey but I really don’t remember what the article was about. I just knew that the author was someone who didn’t regularly write about hockey. He was a golf and football guy. So I was talking to some other sports fans at a staff meeting before it began. I was sitting with them at a table and it included several staff members and an assistant principal. So I am on a tirade about the article and how the author should mind his own business and go back to golf. So I complete my tirade and everyone agreed with me. Then the voice of my assistant principal chimes in and asks what I know about the author of the article. I just piled on and repeated that he should stay to what he knows. She then proceeds to tell me that he was from Boulder and as an aside that he was her brother! After I looked at her and could tell she was serious and did the biggest back peddle I have ever done. I stammered an apology and she told me that she was used to it because her brother was opinionated and did ruffle feathers. I worked with her for a few more years but I always measured my words when talking to her. The other takeaway for me was that I did read a couple of his books and really enjoyed his writing about golf. To this day whenever I see a Sports Illustrated I am reminded to look around before I say anything.
