I'm Not Positive

Last week was one of those times where I didn't have much good to say, so I felt like I shouldn't say anything at all. The fights, lack of substitutes, strain on teachers, COVID tracking, and several other interactions throughout the week consumed my time and energy and kept me away from the good parts of my job. It's certainly not the first time it has happened and while I usually try to see the silver lining, I just couldn't for a bit. Here I was telling all of you to take care of your mental health this year and I was a victim of it myself. I have to do better I guess. 

But the start of this week gave me a little perspective on how to do that. Like most people, I told myself that I was going to "be positive." We've all done that, right? You coach yourself with the voice in your head and motivate yourself to accept a challenge or to change your mindset. But somehow the rational part of me took over this time. Let's be honest, last week sucked! It really did. Now I can try to pretend that it didn't or that stress isn't real or I can fake it until I make it, but it certainly doesn't change the circumstances. That's when it hit me that just "being positive" may not be the answer. Bad things happen. Bad days happen. And sometimes bad weeks happen. But instead of telling myself that these bad events are really positive, I decided that I'm going to be optimistic. I think things will get better. 

So like a principal with PTSD, I came to work this week waiting for the next crisis event to happen, but throughout the week I saw things that reminded me why I still love my job. Students and teachers dressed up for spirit week and decorated hallways. The loud noises in the hallways of a fight were replaced with laughter and music as students danced to "throwback songs" between classes. I made some headway with a few kids that I've been working with and I finally got to observe a couple of teachers. 

So I've decided not to be a positive person. Instead, I'm going to be optimistic. I believe that hard work pays off and that through that work, things will get better. Thanks for a great homecoming week and for getting me back in a good frame of mind. I'm optimistic about what next week will hold.