Last Friday I experienced one of those rare moments of quiet when our schools were closed following parent teacher conferences. It was even more so, because we had taken our network down for maintenance. The few remaining employees in the district were not beholden to the network, so that basically limited our operations to the students who were rehearsing for the musical this weekend. As I was walking through the high school commons, I had the good fortune to hear our students rehearsing and stepped into the auditorium to take in a bit of their practice session. It was a good reminder for me of why we do this work, and one that I didn't know that I needed.
I made the decision more than twenty years ago to leave the classroom for administration. While I loved my time working directly with kids, I felt that school administration would permit me to have a broader perspective that could impact a greater number of students. Moving from the classroom to a building principal role certainly broadened my perspective. It also created 'one degree of separation' from my interactions with students. Then, making that transition from building principal to superintendent created an additional degree of separation. Admittedly, my daily interaction with students is limited. Truth be told, if you dropped someone into the central office without any context, it might take a bit of convincing that we are even a school organization. I mean, even on those days when our buildings are bustling with students: it's quiet down here! My days are mired in filing state reports, removing barriers while trying to solve the unsolvable, ensuring compliance on a whole host of both federal and state statutes, and perseverating over budget projections. When buried in a spreadsheet one can certainly lose perspective.
Which leads me to that quiet day last Friday. The stillness within our buildings allowed me to reflect, and square up that perspective. Primarily, the work we do in our schools is in service to the students and families we serve. It's about providing them with opportunities to develop, explore, and find their own calling or vocation. While I am no longer on the frontlines, I am extremely proud when I see our students succeed. Or witnessing the sense of accomplishment on that instructors face when the fruits of their labor pay huge dividends with high student outcomes. Indeed, working out of the district office is not fundamentally about compliance, spreadsheets, or administrative friction; it is entirely in service to the students, staff, and families we support. That service comes alive when we look across our district right now and witness the richness of student engagement taking place every single day. Take just a few minutes to scroll through our Facebook page to see a multitude of examples!
Our athletic teams are wrapping up phenomenal hard-fought seasons that showcase teamwork, sportsmanship, and grit. At the same time, talented student musicians have earned spots in both All-State and Opus, representing the very best of our fine arts programs. And all of this will culminate this weekend as our stage lights go up for the big fall musical-Into the Woods; a true testament to months of dedication, creativity, and collaboration.
Moments of quiet reflection in the central office remind me why these celebrations and events matter so much. Each policy decision, alignment to the budgets and operational system we manage is ultimately designed to support these moments on the field, on the stage, or in the classroom.
Oh, and in closing I hope you find time to see Into the Woods this weekend. It is an ambitious undertaking, and the small piece that I saw last Friday tells me that it will be well worth your time!
