Skip to main content

Sometimes

Sometimes, our work in schools (teacher, leaders, support staff, etc.) can become very overwhelming. I think that's even more true as we near the end of a school year. I call it the "finish line" syndrome. We see the end and know that we still haven't accomplished a, b or c and we feel responsible for that. We begin to worry about some of our students and what the summer or next year might bring for them.

There's a tendency to have one foot still in this year and another in the year ahead. That's dangerous footing. This year still deserves our focus. We know pieces about next year but the uncertainty of some of it can add to our angst about this year ending.

Sometimes, things aren't always what they seem. You'll hear one side of a conversation or an interaction and jump to conclusions about the actual conversation before you've heard all sides.

Sometimes, you catch yourself wondering if you are indeed on the right path. You second guess decisions. You worry about conversations with others that maybe did not end as well or as completely as you would have hoped.

It is in these times that the true "test" in schools is given to the adults. Our success during "sometimes" is based on how authentically we respond to and support each other and most importantly-- our students. I'm thankful to so many co-workers inside my district and colleagues outside of my district that help me on my sometimes days.

I Play For You from When the Game Stands Tall (WingClips)


We know what we are capable of when we work together. We know that our "sometimes" are not our every times or most times. And that sometimes, things happen that help us improve, grow, change and reflect.  

And sometimes, things happen to remind us just how strong we are or can be.

This work, all of it, matters...even on sometimes, most times and every time kind of days in all of our schools. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Something about March

Our work in school leadership can often come in waves. Some days you are happily swimming to shore while other days you might feel as though it is taking all of your energy to stay above the water.  The latter is often what March feels like.  There is something about March that has always felt like a difficult month for me, at least personally, as an educator. Maybe it's the impact of a long winter, access to less sunshine, or the absence of any scheduled downtime in the month. It's also the point where we are able to look back on a school year and see how much we have accomplished but at the same turn how much there is still to do.  But, the difference is the proverbial finish line that June brings. We all know, whether we like it or not, what we planned or were even assigned to accomplish this year is now connected to an imaginary stopwatch that is counting down that time. We can see the end to the year and that can be stressful.  What about all the things still le...

Growth Mindset

This will be a quick post likely full of errors and incomplete sentences. But, I feel a pressing need to get these thoughts to paper while: a) I have time  and b) I can still remember the pieces I want to connect I was given a great opportunity to work with Dr. Shawn Hunziker today. We've conducted some online book studies around Mindset by Carol Dweck. This past winter, we were invited to give a keynote to CSE Chairpersons ( BIG TIME for us) and that led to today's session with CNYSEA's Summer Institute .  On my way to the session, I was rehearsing notes (as I always do, see previous post ). At a stop sign near the venue where the conference was held, I pulled up in back of a car and noticed the neatest license plate: NEVRQT* I think that's how it was spelled. I tried to grab a picture but realized how creepy that would look and did not reshoot the blurry image I captured. When I arrived at the conference, I immediately told my partner, Sh...

My one word: Courage

I am part of an amazing voxer group of MS Principals and Jay Posick became a recent member of that group. Talk about a man with the right mindset. Recently, he posted a link about a one word challenge and it got me thinking. I've been struggling with the idea of a "new year" and the (self-imposed) push to set some resolutions. I don't like the idea of setting resolutions. They feel too artificial for me. Maybe that's because I've failed at them before. But, what I can commit and buy into is this idea of one word . I think my word is COURAGE.  It's funny when I typed out that sentence, I couldn't get around the phrase "I think". The way I crafted that sentence speaks to why I have chosen the word courage to help guide me in this new year. I need courage to continue to take risks and nurture creative ideas. I need courage to finally do some things I have been postponing (some for just 30 years or so) and set to accomplishing them or...