An arrogant 26-year-old walked into the principal's office to interview for an assistant principal intern position. He was the first of 3 interviews for the day and all of the applicants knew one another from their graduate classes. When the interview was over, he asked "When do I start?" Dr. Geroge Frazier, the principal, reminded him that there were two other interviews. "I know," the interviewee said, "But I know who they are, and I know who I am. So when do I start?"
Dr. Frazier called me back two days later to welcome me to the school. I shouldn't have answered the phone. I was in the delivery room with my wife and my new daughter, Reagan. That arrogance went away quickly when I had to ask for a few days before I could start. But he was happy for me and gave me all the time I needed. He was always good at humbling me.
I only worked with Dr. Frazier for one year before he retired from education. He had been the principal at JH Rose High School for a decade and had such a wealth of knowledge. He was way past the excitement of fights or angry parents. He took everything in stride and had such a calm demeanor about him in stressful situations. He carried me everywhere with him that year. I had access to principal meetings, expulsion hearings, and even his resignation with the superintendent. He wanted me there to see and learn, but I was certainly the only principal intern there. He always used to start sentences with, "When you are Dr. Greene..." and follow it with some piece of sound advice that I probably couldn't fully understand at the time. The one that stuck with me was when he told me this: "When you are Dr. Greene, remember that D-R does not equal G-O-D."
Dr. Frazier called me a few times after he left the school that year. Usually, he wanted me to fix his laptop or wanted a copy of the school newspaper because he wouldn't come in the building to get it. A few months later he passed away. His funeral is still the longest and largest funeral I have ever attended. At 26 years old, I had no intention of earning my doctorate and I brushed off his "when you are Dr. Greene" phrases as nothing more than flattery. But apparently, he was right and for some strange reason, I thought of him the morning I defended my dissertation. I hope he would have been proud.
I learned a lot from Dr. Frazier that year, and I have learned a lot more from so many of you since then. You have put up with a once-young (now not so much) principal that was genuinely figuring things out as he went sometimes. And while I'm certain that there were times when you may not have agreed with me, you were patient and we figured things out together. While I'm proud of the accomplishment of finishing the degree, I'm more proud of the experiences that shaped me getting here. Experiences with each of you. I think that's what Dr. Frazier might have meant by not being God. I earned a title, but I still don't know everything. It's the wealth of knowledge and experience around us that continues to shape and grow each of us no matter where we are. So thanks for your help along the way. I couldn't have done it the same way without you.
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