Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "A Teacher's Daily Guide to Success"

Today's reading, February 7th, from "The Journey: A Calendar Book" is "Be prepared. It prevents poor performance" (James, 2012).

The saying, "Proper preparation prevents poor performance" is attributed to a US government elected military official, which is more than likely where the individual from whom I first heard it learned it as he was in the army as a young man. Better known as P5 (some add an additional "P" in front of the word "poor" for a word which rhymes with "miss"), the lesson learned from its instruction is a must for personal success.

The first 13 years of my teaching career was spent sharing a collapsible wall (a remnant from the team teaching fad of the late 70s and early 80s) with a veteran history teacher we'll call "George". Daily "George's boisterous voice could easily be heard next door. "George" would use mnemonic devices to assist his 9th graders in learning the many dates and facts which the learning of history demands. Weekly I would hear his strong, loud, experienced voice holler, "PPPPP....Proper preparation prevents poor performance".

Not only did his students gain this vital lesson in life, but I, at the age of 25 learned it as well. Four years later when I would have the same students as seniors in College Prep. English, they would recall fondly the lesson they learned from "George" regarding the importance of being prepared.

Prepare. The outcome will be more positive than if you had not.

Keep looking up. : ) AJ