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Looking on the bright side...

One of the most supportive people I work with is Lucinda. She is a clerk for our district and handles all things special education billing, Medicaid, federal grants paperwork, parent portal maintenance, and everything else that is delegated to her. On her facebook page today, she posted the following:


Seems that school budget woes hit every state. My niece is a teacher in Virginia and was told yesterday that she has Friday off and 4 more Fridays off before school is out June 13 WITH NO PAY! School districts are managed by the counties there and they are out of money. Happy Easter! PS: Middle School coworkers take note: There will be no whining allowed in my office from now until June. Things could always be worse!


Lucinda is the kind of person that no matter what life sets before her, she can see the promise in it. She is the quintessential half full type. I love having her nearby as she keeps things in perspective. This week, we have had some days over the break where we are the only two in the office. We are managing to get a lot done but have found ways to bring some brightness to our area.  Here are some examples:

1) When the song Brave came on, and one of our favorite counselors was in the office, we made her dance with us. She could carry on the conversation but she had to bust out some moves and sing a long here and there. She did so, willingly. 



2) Our offices face the front of the building. There were some students waiting outside yesterday and I could hear their fun chatter from my desk. I looked out the window, got out of my chair and approached the window, banging on it to tell the young man:

"Please don't drink out of the puddle."

He stopped. Lucinda and I smiled.

3) We ask our teachers to send out stand out postcards to students at least once a quarter. Teachers can pick anyone they feel deserves the positive reinforcement.  Lucinda reminded me yesterday to finish mine. She took time to hear the stories I had about each one of them. You can tell she cares about our school just as much as I do. 

Lucinda helps me be a better leader with her support and can do attitude. She is one of the many amazingly supportive people who help me (including Diane and Angel -- will write about them in another post soon). 

I hope I never underestimate the value of having these three ladies in my office. They keep our school running and moving forward. And, they keep me looking on the bright side. 

This time of year can sometimes bring out the grumpiness in some of us. I think it is the finality of the year end approaching. We get caught up in the unknowns that might be out there (changing schedule, students in crisis, budget, supplies, etc.) With these three ladies in my corner, I'll be able to keep looking on the bright side. They'd have it no other way. 



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