A Letter for You
This Friday I’m handing the mic to Akosua, one of our Partners here at School Leader Lab.
The night before the new school year begins, I craft letters to every educator in my building. As the sun rises, I arrive at school and carefully place letters on each desk. As their principal, I want my teachers to feel empowered and motivated. I want them to know that they are enough to make this school year better than the one before.
Now, years later, as a partner at School Leader Lab, I have a new vantage point. I was writing the notes to the teachers, but who is writing the notes for the school leaders? If someone has left you a personal note on your desk, amazing! If not, or even still, this is my letter to you:
Dear School Leaders,
You’ve got this. You’ve been thinking about how to start this school year since, well, probably last December. You’ve thought about what you want to do differently, how you should have had that difficult conversation sooner, or better than before. You’ve looked at your school’s data. And if we think about time in percentages, you probably spent 20% acknowledging the wins and the other 80% wondering what happened and why things weren’t better. You spent some time away from the work. How much time? Probably not enough. But regardless, you are here and you know your charge. Our students are the future. They deserve to show up in a school where they belong. They deserve to be challenged intellectually and inspired to brilliance. As school leaders, we promise to be there for everyone: the kids, the teachers, our families, and our community.
But don’t forget about yourself. Here is what I want you to remember:
Remember your why. You’ve been called to do this work. What’s your moral imperative? Write it down, take a picture. Use it as fuel during your highs and lows.
Lead by example. Do you want students to think critically in class? Model for teachers what it feels like to think critically in PD. You set the tone.
Laugh. Relax your shoulders and don’t take yourself seriously all the time! You already know you could publish a best-selling book with all your stories.
Lead from your strengths. Take what you do best, write it down, and lead from it every day.
Ask for help. Call the friend, ask the teacher, text your coach, visit your peers. Stop staring at the screen spinning your wheels. School leadership can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be.
You already know this isn’t going to be easy. Your rose-colored glasses always fall off sooner than you would like. And, when they do, cry if you need, find your inspiration, re-read these tips, and get back in the game.
Thank you for all that you do under the spotlight and behind the scenes.
With gratitude,
Akosua
P.S. Take care of yourself. All of it (and you know what I mean) will still be there when you get back.
