Making the Right Choice

This week I read an article comparing how we chose fruit to purchase in a supermarket to how we should be leading schools in turbulent times. A few of the analogies were a bit of a stretch, but it certainly did get me thinking. How do you know which pieces to fruit to choose when you make a purchase? Do you squeeze it? Do you inspect it for bruises? Maybe you thump it and listen to the sound. Maybe you trust your nose to guide you. No matter what method(s) you use, you have to admit that it can still be a risk. Even the prettiest apple can have a rotten spot or taste tart instead of sweet. Choosing has a risk. 

That's also how Mrs. Garcia and I felt as we chose the teachers that would lead this week's professional development sessions. We knew what they were doing in their classrooms. That means that they passed the sight and smell test. What we didn't know, was if they could lead colleagues to talk about what problems they were having. That's not easy for everyone and it takes something inside of you that's different from teaching children. Doing it for the first time means there is a risk. 

I sat through every session yesterday because I wanted to see how well it worked. I cannot tell you all how proud I was to watch teachers lead and participate yesterday. You were outside of your departments and that means that you were out of some of the traditional comfort zones that you work in daily. Many of you put your successes and challenges out in the open for everyone to see and hear. You quickly jumped in to help others with an idea. And you were not led by professional development gurus or talking heads for programs that are not living in your shoes right now. You all did a great job and I am especially thankful for those of you that took the courage to lead yesterday. I think we chose the right ones and I'm looking forward to making more choices to put more of you in charge this year.

Patience

One year ago this week I was on a study abroad trip in Peru. As a part of that trip, I got to visit Machu Picchu. It's truly an amazing place and something that is just hard to wrap your head around when you think of how it was constructed so long ago. Peru is a country that makes its money from tourism and sights like Machu Picchu generate a lot of revenue for them in many ways. For that reason, it's also hard to wrap your head around the fact that no one has visited the site since the middle of March. Well, almost no one. 

A story broke this week about a Japanese man, Jesse Katayama, that has traveling around the world when the pandemic lockdown began. He was in Peru, with a ticket to see the famous site the week that everything shut down. Rather than going home, Jesse decided to stay in Peru, originally thinking that it would reopen in a couple of weeks. That stay turned into six months. During that time, Jesse Katayama opened a boxing studio and taught people of all ages in the city of Cusco. His story caught the attention of many locals and eventually politicians took notice. The people loved his dedication and service to the community and pushed hard for him to be granted access to Machu Picchu. Last week that finally happened as he was granted access, by himself, to visit the site. His patience had paid off. 

I'm not the most patient person sometimes. I get caught being eager to accomplish something and I want results to happen. I want answers now to questions that I have. I think in a lot of ways, our lack of patience is really at the heart of why we still wrestle with the restrictions that we have as a society. When we run out of patience, we look to someone that we believe can or should make the problem go away. Unfortunatly, many of them don't have all the answers right now either. 

I don't know that there is much that I can do to feel less impatient, but I do think that I do have a choice in how I react to it. I really admire how Jesse Katayama decided to make himself as useful as could while he waited. Staying busy and working to improve things around you can fulfill us while we wait for what we really want. When I thought about it from that perspective, I thought about a lot of the people that I work with. We all are likely growing impatient for school and life to return to some semblance of normalcy soon. But while we wait, many of you have been working hard to make the best of things around you. I've seen your attitudes shift and your productivity spike in new areas. To say the least, I'm inspired. Now I'm going to do my best to work on what I can, while we wait.

What Lies Ahead

We have made it to the end of the first 9-weeks of the school year. It's hard to believe that the year is 25% over. In some ways, it is a true blessing that we have made it this far. We have fought against the pandemic and the endless demands on how we change instruction. On the other hand, we know that we have so much more work to do if we are going to make students successful. If that was not hard enough, we have what is perhaps the most contentious election of our lifetimes on us now as well. So many people are passionate about their political beliefs right now. North Carolina has become a battleground state for federal elections and we are inundated with political ads and everything else that comes with candidates spending money and time to try to get your vote. In so many ways the political events of our times have influenced how we feel about the medical and social events of our times and have made them harder for all of us. 

At a recent principal's meeting, we discussed the policy on political statements in schools. Dr. Miller encouraged us to say something to our school staff about being civil and avoiding conflict over politics in schools. While I'm excited that others are excited about voting, it's sad to feel that we have to remind adults to be kind and considerate of one another. But just like the end of the school will arrive, so will November 4th. It will end and when it does, we are going to have to remember what we have in common instead of what we don't agree on anymore. We are going to have to go back to watching regular commercials instead of political ads. We are going to have to get along. And while that may seem a little scary for what lies ahead of us, remember that we made it through the start of this school year and we certainly didn't think that would happen either. 

So I'm not going to send you an email about being careful about voicing your political beliefs. This blog post will suffice. The message that I hope we all get is not to be careful about what we say that may offend each other and instead, think about what you can say to support each other, especially those that are different than you. No matter what happens in a few weeks, we will undoubtedly need one another to get through the rest of the school year. 

Our Bucket is Full

This week we inducted our National Honor Society students. I videoed my message to them rather than delivering it in person and for some reason, I changed what I usually talk about. I wish I hadn't now. My message usually makes the comparison to them as the "Talented Tenth," a term used by W.E.B. DuBois in his plan to advance African American society. My message is the same as what DuBois wanted. The best among the group should rise up and lead the change for the rest. 

When I taught my African American history course, my favorite unit involved comparing DuBois and Booker T. Washington. Both men had strong plans and while they competed to promote those plans, I wish that they had worked together more. Washington's plan included the idea that all African Americans "cast down their bucket" and pull up one another through hard work and effort. Right now, I see so much of Washington's plan in our teachers. 

School works right now because teachers work. Since we began, I have seen so many of you help one another by sharing resources, information, time, and expertise. You have all cast down your buckets, in an effort to pull up one another. Those buckets are full and that is why we are continuing to make progress. Had we relied on a few instructional coaches or admin to try to fix technology, curriculum, or instructional problems, we would still be painfully behind. A talented tenth could not work fast enough to meet the demands that opening school and teaching students have given us this year. Luckily, so many of you have risen to that challenge and I cannot tell you how much I brag on you to every person that calls, emails, or visits our school. While I hope every day that we are moving one step closer to getting schools back to normal, I genuinely hope that your spirit of collaboration never goes backward.