beyond expectations this year in the many situations we find ourselves. Those pivoting to online learning again when we were so hoping to stay face to face and a special thanks of appreciation to those educators in Spec Ed classes who are now face to face in situations that might cause anxiety and stress, we want to thank you. Your work for all our students, under very difficult circumstances is not going unnoticed. Thank you.One characteristic of being human is for our desires to come easy and instantly. Many societal advancements and daily habits
reinforce the expectation for things to happen quickly, if not immediately (e.g., fast food, Amazon Prime, Google searches…).
Doing hard things often feels, well…hard. But this is where personal growth happens and the outcomes can be transformational. Our actions through challenge can be the catalyst for impact and change. Challenging ourselves to take on difficult tasks is where leaders come alive. Leaders have the courage and determination to do things that other may not want to do or may not have a vision for doing. Through a belief in one’s abilities we can, and do, move mountains to support the well-being, learning and safety needs of our students and school teams.
Drew Dudley also spoke to our system leaders recently and shared the following quote, “Leaders create moments that cause other people to feel as if they are better off for having interacted with you.” There is no doubt that the heavy lifting work of leadership leaves others and ourselves better off.
At the end of our educational leadership journey, will we cherish the moments of comfort, or the moments where we worked with determination, overcame obstacles and had a positive impact on the lives of those we served? To me the latter choice leaves me with hope and purpose knowing that I will have had impact.
Lisa Munro