Reflections

I was talking to the teacher's union building representative about how hard this time of year can be. We both quickly agreed that there was a need not to wallow in that difficulty. It has been an incredible year (full of awesome work) but that was running the risk of being overshadowed by how exhausted everyone seemed to be. We began to cheer each other on about NOT letting a few tough, recent days define an entire year.    What's that saying about seeing the forest through the trees? That's what the end of the year is. In a recent Monday Message, I shared the following with my team: Wow. These past two weeks have been some of the most difficult weeks we’ve had all year. So much going on. This includes with our students. I’ve been part of some pretty difficult news with kids over the last 14 days. It’s exhausting. But, I don’t have to tell you that. You already know it. You are with the same students all day long and know their stories intimately. If I’m feeli...

I woke up early thinking about a recent conversation. I'm struggling with how I may have handled my part of a conversation and am going back and forth (in my own mind) about a particular statement. "Lisa, you're just too warm. Can you pull that back sometimes so people don't see that as much?" Too warm?   Pull that back? "You mean don't be myself? If you're asking me to stop being myself, I can't do that." There is an assumption that being a leader requires one not to be warm. And if you ARE warm, it is assumed you are softer on people.  I've spent time over the last few days thinking about my work as a leader and the team I work with. I am certain most would say they are working incredibly hard. Many have admitted they have worked harder than they ever have in their entire careers because they know that is expected and needed.  T here is a level of accountability (combined with collaboration) in our building that has been b ...

I was in the nurse's office for at least three middle school incidents yesterday. It was one of those days. It began with an injury on the playground at recess and kind of grew from there. Each and every time I entered the space, I was greeted with a warm welcome. I've seen that welcome before as an observer or just walking through.  Our school nurse provides nursing coverage for nearly 700 students grade 6-12. As you can imagine that's a range of needs and attention levels. In addition to being a nurse, she's a mentor and counselor.  When I needed a check in/check out person for a student a few months back, I realized one of the adults he connected best with was the nurse. I hesitated (only for minutes) about asking her to become that daily mentor. She didn't even hesitate and agreed immediately. I've walked in on bits of their conversations ( I'm kind of obnoxious when I enter the Nurse's office ), and can see how much he relies on her for guidance...

A few weeks back, I published a post that included some thoughts from one of the math teachers in my building. I shared it with a math consultant that we work closely with thinking she would support the post. She read the post and offers her interpretation of it below. It doesn't match what I was intending to say but it does cause reflection for moving forward. I remain grateful for honest feedback from trusted colleagues like this one.  From Betty Barrett, Math Consultant :  On April 28, a Middle School math teacher wrote an email to her principal concerning the recent State Assessments. I am quoting here some of what she wrote: “This has been such a great two weeks. I am so impressed with how our students handled testing with such diligence and tenacity. I wanted to give a personal perspective on this week’s testing. You are the most positive and effective principal I have worked with, so I am hoping that even though it is my personal perspective, that maybe yo...