Reflections

When I was completing coursework to become an administrator, I saw leadership (and its inherent responsibilities) in an incomplete way. I was certain I was cut out for the job and could do things differently than I was seeing them done around me. If only I could secure that just right position! I will forever be thankful to the first administrator that took a chance on letting me jump from the classroom to a district level position coordinating elementary special education services. I made many mistakes those first few years and still, to this day, remember two of the many lessons he taught me. I had the opportunity to pay forward his advice by sharing it with newer administrators (and administrators in training) this week. His advice from 15 years ago still works. Lesson #1 This work is a marathon, not a sprint. I remember lamenting out loud to anyone that would listen to me in my new role about "all I had to do" and if only "there were more hours in the day...

It was day full of back to back meetings in one of our buildings. I noticed a message pop up on my phone from a teacher asking if I was still in her building. I was and I responded that I would find her when this meeting ended. As we approached each other in the hall, I wondered what she would ask me. As the Assistant Superintendent, I receive a plethora of questions. They range from professional development, policy, our new high school Flex program, special education, enrichment and more. I wasn't fully prepared for this question though. "How do we do it? How do you keep doing it?" With tears in her eyes and a sincere worry in her voice, she shared a personal story about a student she was trying to help. She needed to share what she had done that day to support him and wondered what more she could do. Wondered if what she was doing was enough. Wondered, I suppose, how the work we were requiring him to do within a school even compared to the real work life was ha...