Several weeks ago I met with the seventh graders to talk about how they are heading into their eighth grade year and will be the leaders in the school. I told them about a famous college basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, whose mantra is “Next play.” What he means by this is that you always think about the work you just did to succeed, but you don’t rest on your laurels. You already start to look ahead to your next game or challenge to build on your success. If you didn’t succeed, you think about why that happened, but you don’t spend too much time stuck there either. You look ahead and think about how you can improve upon your performance: next play.

I hope that this summer offers the opportunity for you and your children to think about what this year has taught them and taught you. Reflection is a powerful tool to teach us to be proud of what we’ve done and to think about what we can do differently when we get another chance. So here’s to an amazing summer, with rest and relaxation, with time with friends and family. Enjoy your next play.