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At the time, piling all the “scary campaign stuff” into one day seemed to make sense:  Get it over with and move on.  In hindsight, it was a huge mistake—certainly not in the same league as running over the family pet—but one which I hope to never repeat again. Monday, Oct. 15, was my day to be interviewed by the editorial board of the Lowell Sun regarding their candidate endorsements, do my three-minute video to be aired on LTC cable television, and participate in a live televised debate with the Citywide Parent Council. (Note: I had control of the scheduling of the Sun and LTC events.) The result of all this pressure in one day was that I was an emotional wreck who found it difficult to stay focused on which priority needed my attention most. In the end, I think the three-minute video turned out well, primarily because my daughter did a great 45-second pitch for her mother, and my friend Martha Jussaume Patz (a LHS and Emerson College alumna) got me through my performance anxiety. At the televised debate that night, however, I was disappointed in myself. I had focused so much on organizing my facts that when it came time to speak them, I couldn’t seem to make the important points within the allotted time. In fact, some of those questions and the answers I should have given continue to haunt me, two days later, so expect a future post on some of those issues. In the end, I comfort myself with the advice I’ve given countless past students and my own children: even a mistake can be a good thing when we learn from it.