You might be surprised to know that not every day as a superintendent goes exactly as planned.
Does any day in education go exactly as planned?
I once read that teaching is more difficult than surgery.
A surgeon works on something he has a clear picture of.
A teacher changes children every day. That is what teaching is! A successful teacher ensures a different classroom of learners show up each day. Individual learning needs change every single day – which is, in fact, the mark of success.
Sometimes those marks of success, though, can be hard to find.
Some days are particularly hard.
Working through illness and grief can play with your emotions and your thoughts, and especially with your required sense of hope.
That’s when you need your critical friend the most.
What can a critical friend do for you?
Sometimes all it takes is a new focus, like what was your win today?
For me, that question can pull me back up the other side of almost any hole I fall into.
In education, there are always wins. When we choose to focus on them, we can keep stepping forward to the next one.
You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step. (Martin Luther King Jr)
Featured image by Mitch Geiser on Unsplash
With special thanks to my critical friend for dragging me through this week.
