The Love of a Leader...

Life over the last six months has been a wonderful, beautiful, crazy, awesome segment of time in my professional and personal life.  I took on the role as principal of an elementary school in a brand new town being built in Babcock Ranch.  This role was 100% unexpected.  I have always desired to be an elementary principal, but I always LOVED serving at the high school level.  I believe my own struggles in high school (family loss on many levels from our farm to the divorce of my parents) stirred a fire in my own heart to provide support to others students who were battling their struggles while striving or struggling to meet the demands of the academic curriculum.  I often wonder how I have ended up where I am today. The truth...many good people have taken the time to invest in me over the years.  I could write lists of people who filled the gap while our family experienced varying levels of trials over the years.  Growing up I remember only a few tim...

Today, I write my blog and smile.  I have wanted to write this entry for quite some time and today, well...today is the day.  Today at the chiropractors office I was told, "you are always so put together and are always organized."  I looked over my shoulder as I knew they could not be referring to me as I stood there in my UK shirt and purplish shorts that were far from being put together.  There was no way. People, in the morning, I wake up hitting the ground running at 4:50 (after hitting the snooze button at least twice) most days with the song, "I Will Survive" playing in my head as these days in this work it feels like an episode of survivor on a pretty regular basis.  I always thought I was pretty tough, strong...I mean I was the oldest of three farm girls, my dad wanted three boys...so you can envision the rest.  He took no excuses and "suck it up" and "figure it out" were very frequent phrases heard by myself and my two sisters. Well, ...

On this day four years ago, Darrell and I were on a plane ride that would forever change our lives.  We were heading to Ethiopia to meet our daughter, our precious blessing from God.  A blessing that would likely not been able to happen without a focus on the heart from people who were unafraid of the world.  The ways of the world and political "bureaucrazy" are often enough of a reason to prevent us from being the change in the world.  You see, I am thankful for heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King who were stronger than both bureaucracy and the harsh world he faced.   This morning the speaker for our school systems Unity Celebration in honor of Martin Luther King Day; Michael Chatman, spoke of being a gentle leader in the face of adversity.  He spoke eloquently on many of my own beliefs and it encouraged me that it truly is not an issue of blacks and whites.  It is in fact an issue of our hearts.  It is how we interface with others that spea...

In the spirit of JOY this season, it seems fitting to share how I find JOY when it seems the negative can quickly become the focus.  The last year and half have been a challenge for me as a professional and I have learned first hand that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! No, I don't mean physically kill me (although some days I did feel like I was being run over by a Mack truck), but my soul...the place where my joy resides was under attack.  There were times I questioned my expectations of what the educational experience should look like; however, at the end of the day my bar remained, what would I want for my own child?       The profession I have chosen allows me the privilege to experience joy on a daily basis.  I love serving people and the fact that I get to collaborate and work alongside students and teachers who love learning on a daily basis makes my heart overflow with joy.  Of course there are days that we miss the ma...

It seems a mystery, with no students and teachers in the building...what in the world could the principal possibly be doing inside those walls?  During the summer months while school is out, school is really beginning.  As quickly as the year ends and the checklists for closing the year out are met, the new year is already underway.  It is a time for finalizing the schedule, sending out transcripts for recent graduates, finalizing review of handbooks from the suggestions for changes throughout the year, ordering supplies in preparation for the upcoming school year (as the new budget opens on July 1), hiring, preparation of classroom changes, and sending teachers and administration to a variety of trainings and meetings to prepare for new policies and procedures for the upcoming school year.  Teachers are in and out as they prepare to make adjustments in their unit/lesson plans and redesign their rooms to accommodate their new ideas and learning for serving Next Gene...

It was time, I needed to make sure I was in-tune and staying connected to what the best schools in America are doing to meet the needs of their students.  I am responsible to the students I serve daily. Leaders must take the time to make sure they are collaborating and engaging with those who can make them better in their roles.  I look forward to learning and getting out of my comfort zone as I know it isn't about me, it is about the students who will have a better experience as a result of my learning and leading. Last week I had the privilege to attend the Deeper Learning Conference at High Tech High in San Diego, California.  It was an amazing experience that gave credence to the passion I have for shifting the traditional school experience into a real world, meaningful, deeper learning experience that I believe is critical for every child.  I am a firm believer that every child should have the privilege to experience a meaningful education that they create, n...

The life of a leader requires a love for their work.  I love what I do on a daily basis and I am thankful  for the privelege to serve in a capacity everyday that impacts the lives of students.  Being a principal requires a love for the people you serve and I can think of no greater investment than children who will run the future and teachers willing to be in the trenches.  On the 30th anniversary of the explosion of the Challenger a quote from Christa McAuliffe seems appropriate, "I touch the future--I teach."  This commitment to education does require the leader to have a vision beyond tomorrow, beyond next week, and beyond next year.  It also requires accountability to monitor classroom instruction.  I have always believed that if I wouldn't want my own child, niece, or nephew in the classroom with a teacher, then why would I compromise for the children entrusted to my care within a school and when it happens...it is hard. There have been only a ...