The 3 Magicians

As spring break is approaching - or what's left of it after we make up snow days - I have been thinking back to last year's spring break. I have to admit that the 2 or 3 weeks leading up to spring break were not exactly my favorite. It is not uncommon for people to ask, “How can you be a high school administrator? Don’t you get tired of dealing with nothing but discipline?” Typically I am able to inform them of the fact that my days and my job consist of much more than discipline and that I love my job. However, during those weeks leading up to spring break I was beginning to wonder myself how I could be a high school administrator! It seemed as though all I did was deal with discipline, upset parents, and conflicts. To be completely honest, I really wasn’t feeling all that great about teenagers in general.

Over spring break my wife and I took our 4 kids bowling. While we were there having some nice family time along with another family from the neighborhood, the 3 magicians walked up.

I recognized them from school but didn’t know their names. Turned out they were Michael, Raymond, and Shane. They walked up to me and said, “Mr. Habeeb, want to see a card trick?” The three of them proceeded to show me card trick after card trick. My kids walked over to watch. I have to tell you, it was fun. These kids were good. They knew just what to say to make it really feel like a magic/card show. I was impressed.

As I drove away from the bowling alley, I realized I had a smile on my face. Primarily it was because I had enjoyed watching my own children bowl. However, it was also in some part a result of the 3 magicians. Yes, they had been entertaining, but they had been more than that. They had reminded me of something. I really love high school students.

I don’t know what Michael, Raymond, and Shane are like in class, but they were a lot of fun outside of it. They had enthusiasm, senses of humor, and really wanted to impress me with their tricks. They had obviously put a lot of work into their tricks. High school kids are great. They’re kids. They’re fun. They’re worth spending time with.

I wasn't exactly ready for spring break to end, but the 3 magicians worked a little magic on my attitude about heading back to school next week. Thanks, guys.