Thank Your People

Despite the fact that you work with people all day, being a principal can feel like a very lonely job. Your interactions come from people that you manage in some capacity, or from the families connected to them. You don't get much of a chance to interact with peers. This week I had a chance to participate in something that did give me that opportunity and it reminded me of how valuable it is to have people that listen to you. I have done some teaching and professional development work for the North Carolina Principal and Assistant Principal Association. Generally, this work centers on helping teach aspiring administrators or assistant principals that want to take on the principal role. When they contacted me to work on a different kind of project, it quickly caught my interest. This time, I wouldn't be teaching, I would just be facilitating conversations. There are members of this group with far more experience than I have and some with much less, but that's kind of the point. We meet and share ideas about how we can use our experiences to make our own jobs better. Our first event kicked off this week, and it was already a great time for everyone. 

This did get me thinking about how valuable it is to have people that are willing to share your experiences. Many of us are exhausted this time of year and if you take just a second to think about it, you probably have a person or two that you have shared that with. These are the people that are willing to listen to you complain and also the ones that you run to share good news with. We might call them friends, colleagues, or family, but collectively they are "your people." My opportunity to share with a new group of people this week reminded me that we should never take our people for granted. They keep us grounded and their support gets us through good times and bad. Throughout the school year, we celebrate different groups with a week or day to celebrate their position (Teacher Appreciation Week, Principal's Week, Assistant Principal's Week, School Counselor's Week, Social Worker Appreciation Day, and School Nurse's Day to name a few.) Today, I ask that you recognize Your People Day and thank those that have supported you through this crazy school year that we can finally see the end of on the horizon. Thank your people for listening to you, celebrating you, and supporting you this school year. We might not have made it without them!