Inside the Trenches of the Principal: Week 35

I saw many wide-eyed looks this week as we get closer to spring break. There is a tiredness and wear that is coming over all of us and fuel tanks are nearing the “E”. The challenge, then, of course, is to figure out how to add fuel to our tanks! I think for each of us the fuel is different, but for me it’s finding positive moments throughout the day that I can smile, laugh, or simply have fun. On Friday, during kindergarten specials time, I jumped into PE and joined the my little friends in a game of floor hockey. I was also so pleased with our Food Lion Math Night on Thursday night. It brought dozens of Moore families together to learn real-world math inside the local grocery store. We hosted an author at the school on Friday. All these little sparks to my day continually give me the energy and excitement to keep going.

I handed out a letter to every staff member this week that laid out the expectations moving forward for next year. In addition to continuing the pieces of Moore that we’ve installed this year, there will be more changes next year. I believe in transparency, and I want to make sure that no one felt shocked or frustrated next year when we begin these changes. I had a handful of conversations with individuals who had questions about some of the changes, and I rested them assure that I wanted them to be happy, and if Moore doesn’t fit your style or pedagogy, it would be okay to transfer. I would never, ever want someone to have to go to our school each day annoyed or upset about what we’re doing.

On Saturday morning, I had one of my proudest moments as a presenter. I’ve stood on hundreds of stages before, but this was the first time I was able to do a speech as a principal alongside my students. I’ve had many of my RCA students join me before for speeches, and they are fantastic, but I think it means a lot to bring my “public school kids” up on stage with me to show that when given the training and opportunities, all kinds of students can do remarkable things. They did a great job and I think I’ve got a couple of future “stars” in the making!

I had a sweet moment as well on Friday during my Ambassador meeting. At the end of the meeting, a few of them stayed after to tell me that they had  been talking and they wanted to know if they could come back next year as 6th graders to help me with Ambassador and Greeter training. They wanted to continue to be a part of the school and the things we have going on! I was touched by that and it’s moments like that that give me the fuel I need to fill my tank back up!

Wanted to end with a quick thank you to everyone who has picked up a copy of The Limitless School! It’s humbling to have people read the words you wrote and it’s still a bit surreal at times! If you want to pick one up, you can a copy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1946444502/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521917881&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=limitless+school&dpPl=1&dpID=416zlHh2t6L&ref=plSrch