Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Principals Are People Too

I was recently challenged to participate in this Principals Are People Too blog topic- and I am thankful for that challenge.

I must have been a very frustrating child for my parents to raise.  (Thank goodness they never gave up on me!)  I have a tendency to be a bit contrary at times.  For example, growing up in Indiana, I was well aware of John Mellencamp (garage back days) earlier than many of my raised out-of-state college friends...so, naturally, when the whole John "Cougar" Mellencamp craze came about, I was done.  Everyone else loves a book- please don't tell  me that I have to read it....it makes me put it on hold.  And yes, I do realize how ridiculous this all is- I missed out on The Fault in Our Stars for six months because of this.  So, you can imagine my reaction when everyone in my PLN kept telling me that I need to blog.  Ummmm, "No thanks."  "I'm good." " I'm too busy." "No one wants to hear/read what I have to say."    Fear? Shyness?  Probably. But a large part of my resistance was me just being contrary.  Or maybe there are so many Must Do items in life that when there comes a time that I actually have a choice, I choose "No."  I wonder how many of our students do the same?  They feel a loss of control in other areas, so they seize the little they can control.

But here's the thing- once I try one of the things that I have been so resistent to, I tend to LOVE it!  Twitter, Voxer, EdCamps.... all examples of new things that came my way and that I have become a strong advocate of.  What I have learned (hey, I'm a slow learner) is that people are not encouraging me to try these new things because they want me to fail. Indeed, it is the exact opposite.  I am important enough that they want me to succeed!  This is certainly the case for my Voxer Family.   I cannot imagine life without their daily dose of humor, reality, advice, honesty...  So when the challenge was extended to write a blog post on the topic of Principals Are People Too, I just couldn't allow that contrary, Just Say No side of me come out to play.

Principals are people too.  Indeed we are. As much as I try to present the image of Calm and Collected, sometimes I lose that cool.  While I don't have a problem seeking help in learning new things, I sometimes struggle to share the load.  I need to be better at saying "Yes, thank you!" when someone offers a helping hand.  I need to do a better job of allowing myself to focus on things beyond my job.  When you are married to another educator, it is very easy to talk shop ALL the time.  I need to learn to shut that down.  I need to find more balance in my life.  This is a message that I have shared with staff, encouraging them to take the entire weekend and focus solely on themselves and family.  Yet I don't follow my own advice nearly as often as I should.   My Voxer Family has helped me with this realization.  They remind me that it will all be there tomorrow- but my children, my family, my friends may not be.

So, I am going to say good-bye for now.  I will be back- and it won't take 10 months for my post to appear.  But in the meantime, I have an evening planned with some very special people.


4 comments:

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  2. Leah- Thank you for taking the time to share your story. I've loved reading the stories of how "Principals are People Too". After completing 27 years in the classroom, I'm just starting my journey to becoming an administrator. I have a lot to learn! I can relate to so much of what you said. I know that starting a blog is a little scary and makes you vulnerable. I know because I just started one too after much encouragement from my PLN. But, I so appreciate you putting yourself "out there" so that others like me can learn from your experience. Thank you again--Sandy

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  3. Leah,
    I'm learning this lesson as well!

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  4. Hi Leah,

    That contrary streak is something that I sometimes battle with too. Sometimes a healthy skepticism is a good thing, but sometimes it can get in the way. Thanks for helping me sort that out.

    Enjoy your summer.
    Tim

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