Head out of the Clouds

What a marvelous winter break it was! This year's winter break had a little bit of everything. There was memorable family time with my immediate and extended families. There was a mountain trip to a bed and breakfast. There was time for blogging, reading, and self-reflection. I was able to read several professional books and engaged in my Twitter PD.  My Twitter PD consists of participating in chats and interacting with my PLN. Life moved slowly. I moved slowly. I watched all the sporting events possible. I played a little Words With Friends. I have never been so relaxed. I returned to work rested both physically and mentally.

Then the students returned to school this past Tuesday. This return to the "real world was a shock to the system. It rattled me. I almost lost the momentum that I obtained from the break. During break, life was slow and controlled. My system had to adjust getting back into the work flow. Don't get me wrong, I embrace the mission and would not rather be doing anything else that what I am currently doing. I am an assistant principal at a small elementary school that is in it's opening year. I work with a wonderful principal and a fantastic staff. The community we serve is very warm. I have not even mentioned how awesome the students are!

Several days on the way home this week I found myself reflecting back on how returning to work felt. Tuesday morning started busy and Friday ended the same way. There was a bullying issue that required an investigation. I spoke with all students involved. I met with teachers and parents. There were phone calls, questions, procedure reviews, notations in our bullying log, etc. It is a thorough and extensive process. There were also classroom coverage challenges to meet. There was also bus discipline, job interviews, a fire drill, classroom visits, and mentoring opportunities. We all know life in a school is never dull or boring!

I am not complaining but these are not what I read in my leadership and educational books. This was not what I Voxed about with my PLN. I did not Tweet about tracking down lost lunch money. There was a disconnect. In the Utopian world that I had been immersed in, there were no mundane tasks. Everything was big picture. Everything was easy to understand. Things were not complicated. There were no layers. Nothing was messy. Our everyday tasks and opportunities may not always be glamorous nor would they be items that we would choose to do. But everything we do completely matters. We must approach every interaction like it is the most important thing in the world. We have to stay true to our mission. We must be our best. We cannot allow things to drag us down. We may never truly know what impact we can have in our daily actions, so we must approach them all with our best efforts. Our students need us to be the champions that they all deserve! Life in a school may not always be how we picture it but nevertheless what we do makes a difference and the impact that we can make in the lives of children makes it ALL worth it.