Pix4free.org – link to – https://pix4free.org/
With the suitcases loaded in the rental car and the girls buckled in the backseat, we set off on our mini adventure into New York City. Our agenda was set and Central Park was loaded into Waze for directions. Although I had been to New York several times, I had never driven in the city. It can’t be that hard, right? I mean, I know how to parallel park a school bus. Surely, I handle driving in one of the busiest cities in the world.
I quickly realized that there was nothing I could have done to prepare for this 7.3 mile drive. With my grip tightening on the steering wheel at every turn, I did my best to adapt to the rules (unwritten and written) of driving in the city. As much as I wanted to slow down, or even pull over just to get my bearings, I knew I had to push through and keep going in order to keep up. Several traffic violations and almost accidents later (all self reported of course), we made it to Central Park. I was overwhelmed and exhausted.
As we begin yet another school year, I cannot help but think of all the parents, students, and educators who are navigating a new school year. Whether it is the same school as last year, the start of a new school year always brings a nervous and overwhelming excitement. Unfortunately, the past doesn’t always prepare us for the new – new teachers, new friends, new routines, new experiences.
The trip before all of us this school year is so much greater than the 7.3 miles that stood between me and getting my family to Central Park. Education leaders are tasked with the enormous challenge of leading their students, staff members, and school communities through another school year all while dealing with teacher shortages, increasing dissension regarding public education, gaps in student achievement, disproportionality in schools, chronic absenteeism, and the list goes on.
Thus, we have to resist the urge to grip down on the proverbial steering wheel just to get through. There is simply too much at stake. Our communities need to see our schools as examples of inclusivity where each and every child is valued and encouraged to reach their full potential.
Our destination is set. Will it be hard? Yes, but as the late Dr. Rita Pierson once said, “We can do this. We are educators. We were born to make a difference.”
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As a non-profit organization, TregoED would love to have the opportunity to lead with you on your journey this school year (and hopefully beyond). We specialize in building individual and district capacity in collaborative problem solving and decision making. At the core of who we are is an unyielding belief that investing in education leaders has the highest potential for benefiting the entire school community.