Reflections

If I am entirely honest, I was a nervous wreck about being there. Attending the Principal of the Year event and Principals' Institute with NASSP felt like the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet, I wasn't sure I belonged there. I quickly found a seat at a table and the workshop began. What I figured out, almost immediately, was THIS was exactly where I needed to be. Introductions and conversations had an energy to them. It was easy to connect and share. I work hard at staying current in my work and that can look like too much to others. It is sometimes perceived that I "don't have a life" outside of my school. It's simply not true but that can be the perception. Growing up, I had some pretty difficult jobs.  Fast food worker, chambermaid, hostess, and even deli counter prep are ones I count among the toughest. They were jobs. I was there just for the money. I wasn't particularly skilled at any of them. I arrived on time and watched the clock to leave o...

I was fortunate to spend part of my Labor Day weekend at a family picnic. As I approached the crowd already gathered in the yard, I recognized a woman in attendance. It was Laurie. I met Laurie nearly 24 years ago and back then I called her Mrs. Wells. In 1992, I had just graduated from the College of New Rochelle and had been earnestly applying for teaching positions all across upstate NY. I was called to interview in a district an hour north of where I lived. It was in a place I had never visited. Yet, they needed a special education teacher for a long term leave and I so wanted a chance to teach. Long story very short, I was hired to act as a long term substitute for Mrs. Wells. As I sat at the picnic, next to Laurie, I began to think about what a chance she had taken on me a very long time ago. I was a brand new special education teacher with NO paid experience.  She welcomed me into that position with open arms. She allowed me to call her at any time with all of the...