Superintendent: Year 1 (Don’t Doubt Yourself)
I recently had the opportunity to meet with one of my mentees and she shared that she enjoyed reading my blog posts and it seemed like everything is going great! And yes it is! However, every day is not perfect and it does not always go the way I planned. Keyword “I”. I have a plan and vision of how I would love each day to go but if you are in education (at any level) you know for a fact that our days are not our own and they hardly go as planned. :-)
One thing I shared with her is that I do have hard days but for me it’s all about perspective. Even on my “worst” day (which I have not experienced in this role) I know for a fact other educators and superintendents have just as much or more going on in their worlds too. So I pray and give thanks even for the hard days because they make me stronger and they teach me. I have grown more than I could ever have imagined over the last nine months. I look at every experience as a gift, some gifts I do not want (lol), but there is a lesson and opportunity to learn and grow, as well as not make the same mistake again.
Today I want to share a little about doubting yourself or the decisions you make. In this role you have hundreds of decisions a day (I am sure if I counted it’s more like thousands). However, one thing I pride myself in is making sure every decision goes back to the success of our students and our system. As you all know when you make a decision there are those who love it and those who may not. What I hold fast to is my purpose. From day one, even before assuming this role, my heart and passion has been for student success and creating/improving systems and efficiencies. So I am about to be transparent and vulnerable. Here we go.
In one of my earlier blog posts, I think my first one, I shared about my first day on the job. I had to reassign a position and appoint an interim in that specific position. So I had my meetings with various staff members and then I met with the students who would be directly impacted. Remember, this is my FIRST DAY on the job (keep that in mind). I walk into the space and I see students crying. (Not what I envisioned at ALL!) I was introduced by one of my staff members (who has just met me) and I spoke to the students. Some of them listened to me, some mean mugged me, others made eye contact and some did not. This was not how I wanted to start my journey as superintendent with my students. I shared that I needed to make some personnel decisions and I basically asked for their trust and believe in me even though they did not know me. After I finished I asked if there were any questions and I shared that if any student wanted to meet with me individually I would definitely meet with them and answer the questions that I could. That day was not hard for me because I knew I made the right decision. The struggle from that day came with seeing the students and the defeat that was on some of their faces. That is what hurt my heart.
Fast forward. I am at various events throughout the semester supporting these particular students. Some are warming up to me and some are not. (Note: They were and still are very respectful. Like yes ma’am and no ma’am kind of respectful). I was there for every event but I had to miss one of them when I moved into my house. Even then I wrote them a letter letting them know I am proud of them and support them.
This semester one of these students was offered a scholarship to become a student-athlete upon their graduation in May. The student was sick one day but called the office and asked to speak with me. I spoke with the student and they shared that they were signing their Letter of Intent and wanted to make sure I was there. I knew I would be out of town for a work event but told the student I would make sure I was back in time. I was honored! However, that wasn’t the part that hit my heart strings. The student said, “Dr. Spicer, I owe you an apology”. Now I’m caught off guard and I said, “For what?” (I am oblivious at this point). The student stated that they remembered when I came into their classroom at the beginning of the year and spoke to them. The student shared that I was not happy with you and I did not understand how you could do that to us. But I saw you at every event that we had. You were there from the beginning to the end whether we won or lost. The student also made mention of my absence and knowing that I had to move but I still was thinking about them and their success. The student also shared that although they did not understand why I made that decision at the time it was truly the best decision for them. He then thanked me for continuing to be there and support them the entire semester. I could have fell on my office floor and cried. (I kept it together though).
I share this experience because I need you to know that you always MUST (no exceptions) make the right decisions in the best interest of our students! Yes, everyone may not understand but it’s ok. Involve the necessary stakeholders and gather all the information you can to ensure you make the most informed decision possible. Make sure you communicate, share what you can, build relationships and build trust. I keep this story close to my heart because I have had to make some hard decisions, not hard for me but hard for those the decisions impact. This is my reminder that I must keep on keeping on. Through this journey so far I have had awesome opportunities to build trust and relationships. I make sure my students, staff and parents know they can always schedule a meeting to speak with me. When people get face time with you they will be your biggest advocates. They will share how you took the time to listen, invest and learn. Even if the answer is no, they are thankful and appreciative for the time and transparency.
Stay encouraged and let’s finish strong together!
#InspireExcellence
