Superintendent Year 3 (Trust The Process)

Have you ever questioned your why or the work you are leading? I have at times. I am enjoying the journey as a superintendent. I am not sure if I ever shared this with you all but I did not want to go into education. My first degree was in social work. I knew I was called to help and serve people but I did not truly know the vehicle that would be used to share those gifts. I knew I was supposed to teach but I kept putting it off because I did not want to do it. However, I knew that God had bigger and better plans for my life. So my plans changed...I was now going to teach, then become a high school principal. That was it. I knew I loved the older kiddos (I love my littles too) and I knew I could reach them and create an environment that would allow them to learn and grow. I started off as a middle school teacher then transitioned to become a high school teacher. Years later, I started pursuing my masters so I could become a high school principal. I truly thought that would be the culmination of my career as an educator.

Fast forward to my life now, I am a superintendent in my third year of service and I would never have guessed that my career path would lead me here. I have enjoyed every moment of my career and I am learning so much. One thing I am grateful for are other leaders who have poured into me and spoke life into me. Without my village, I would not be where I am professionally. I am thankful for the countless mentors, sponsors and coaches who have invested in my professionally and personally. I truly believe that the education community is such a strong and vital resource for us as we navigate our service to our students, staff, parents and community. As I embark on year three I want to talk about trusting the process!

When you start a new position, new role or a new beginning it takes time to see the fruits of your labor. Sometimes you may see swift progress, other times you may struggle to see system changes, and at other times you may plant the seed and not see growth until after the completion of your assignment. This is part of the process. Over the last few years our team, board, parents and community have worked together to continue to build excellence within our schools. We are thriving in our district and it is such a joy to see and experience. The energy is electric, the staff, students and community have been on fire and excited about the work we choose to do on a daily basis. It’s one of those experiences you cannot put into words. When I joined my district I knew we were going to do great work. I knew I had to learn the community, the people and the pulse of the district. It took time, patience and dedication as we worked to build a team and relationships. It is truly paying off and it’s truly a blessing to take part in and witness.

Year one was truly a getting to know you and build relationships phase. I knew I needed to meet people and gain as much knowledge and insight as quickly as I could but I also knew that they (staff, leaders, community, parents, officials and more) wanted to meet me and see who I was and what I was about. I am not sure people understand how crucial this is to leadership. (Side note: Take the time to listen, learn meet and invest time into people. It pays dividends). I knew I could only be me by being true to what I said I would do from day one. Listen. Learn. Then lead. I believe that has been instrumental to our success as a system. I have been transparent about our work and purpose from day one. Our work has been to build on our current foundation and strengthen our educational system for our students and staff. Over time we have lost individuals to retirement or to other districts but we have also gained individuals who have the same goals, vision, passion and heart, which has continued to make our district even better.

Year 2 was the year of implementation and progress. Yes, there were some growing pains, but we expected them. In any system where you add new people or processes we must expect the implementation dip. I believe talking about it and expecting it prepares people and systems for the changes that may be felt. In the end, we rise from it and level out. That is when the system and people start to witness the success that comes with change. This is where you truly must, ‘Trust the process’. We have done just that! Everyone has been working to take care of students and take care of one another. This has been the game changer for us. We know that we are #BetterTogether and we continue to #AssumePositiveIntent. We work diligently together to learn, grow and challenge one another as we strengthen our district.

This summer, in preparation for the new school year, we launched our leadership retreat in June. This was a different approach, but it helped set the tone by proving a strong finish to last year and encourage an energized launch into the new year. One thing we told staff and will continue to do every summer is to disconnect. They know I mean it (in a loving way). No work, no emails, just you, yourself, your family. Relax. Recharge. Release. Focus on you and refresh because when we return, we will grind. The crazy thing is, many of us have worked through summer breaks and it has hurt us. Everyone literally took the time to reset (yes we may have had to deal with a few work related issues here and there but we all made sure we reset). When everyone came back to the new year (July) they were rejuvenated and ready to serve. Our teachers came in for curriculum planning as needed. Leaders prepared for the return of their departments and campuses. It was such a fresh start and truly provided for a strong start to the year.

This August when our faculty and staff returned for Back-To-School professional development, there was so much excitement and a zeal to learn and grow. Professional Development was truly AWESOME!!! Our band and cheer leaders opened for us; we had a student panel; we were even blessed to give a nice gift to faculty and staff. August was what we needed. I believe it was successful because it was based on the feedback from the staff at the end of the year. We knew the needs and made plans to address them through our trainings and time together. As a district, we needed to talk about mental health, self care, how to meet the needs of our students and one another. We also needed to work on refining special education processes and classroom resources to build rigor in instruction. We then launched the start of school with our convocation; thank you to George Couros and to our student panel. They sealed the deal and launched us to the 1st days of school. If I tell you PD was amazing, it was. Not because I said it was but because our staff said it was. There was and still is so much excitement about our time together.

Now that school is truly under way with almost a month in we still feel that excitement and energy. I could have never imagined this atmosphere or environment if I tried. This is truly a result of trusting the process, building excitement with your team and having the right people in the right spots. I encourage you to trust the process even when you get discouraged or feel like you are not seeing the fruits of your labor. Know that successes will come with challenges and struggles but you can persist and persevere. It will all be worth it and your district and community will be better for it. Love the people and strengthen your systems and processes while on this journey. Always remember that you are changing lives, communities and generations. This is our why! Hold on to that truth during your leadership journey. It is so worth it!

Continue to #InspireExcellence