It was a busy week. If you read my last blog post “The 2%”, you know it started off very rough. I ended up taking Monday off with my daughter who had an emergency dental procedure. When I went into work on Tuesday, I was playing catch up. All meetings from Monday were moved to Tuesday, which just made for a busier day. Ugh. Tuesday turned to Wednesday and Wednesday turned to Thursday. I was going, going, going. Work was getting done. Staff had their needs met. All should have been good. But, I was exhausted and worn down. And then Friday came.
Friday was the monthly Principal Awards Day. It’s an exciting day where students are nominated by their teacher to receive awards in the areas of Achievement, Citizenship, and Growth Mindset. I have a long red carpet that I put in front of my office. I also have stanchion posts with red ropes to complete the red carpet affect. Throughout the day students come to my office where I have music playing and they walk the red carpet. Some teachers tell the students why they are coming and others let it be a surprise.
When students are in my office, I take the time to explain what each award means and why they were chosen. I also always make sure they know that of all the students in the classroom, their teacher chose them. The smiles that light up the students faces as I share this with them is priceless! It is pure joy.
Principal Award Day was exactly what I needed to remember my why after a long week. As principals, everyone counts on us. We are expected to get everything done, get it done on time, and to ensure staff, students and parent needs are met. It’s a HUGE job. I liken the job to an hourglass. Principals are the middle of the hour glass…the funnel. Staff, students, parents and the community are on one side. The other side is the district office, superintendent and school board. If you look at the hour glass, no matter which way you turn it, the sand always has to go through the middle (or the principal). This means we are in high demand. Everyone is counting on us and coming to us with their issues. Our work never ends and it can be extremely taxing. What can often get forgotten along the way is the why. Why do we do it?
I’ll tell you why…the kids. As much as I love my staff and community, I don’t do it for them. I do it for the kids. Principal Award Day reminded me of this after a very trying week. When I saw those smiles light up the kids faces, it reminded me of my why. I don’t ever want to get to a point where I forget my why. Because the success of the kids in school and in life is my why.
The Positive Principal 