Principals Matter

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 on time.

Working in a school has never felt like a job to me.  

What I realized, as I sat among the group of Principals of the Year, was that we were quite similar! These were my people! I listened to stories of amazing programs and teachers in schools. I heard about risk taking and how these Principals helped to support and move along their schools against many odds. No one talked about doing the minimum or scraping by. Everyone talked about their work with passion, with hope, and with purpose.  We were all just doing what needed to be done for the same reason. 

It mattered. 

It matters for kids, teachers, families and schools. 

It was an honor to represent New York at this event. It was an even bigger honor to see my name next to some of the most incredible people I've met in a long time.

(photo provided by Winston Sakurai)

"You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give."