Perhaps it's the end-of-year melancholy that has caused me to be introspective or the emotion that comes with packing up and moving out of my school that has come to feel like home that is making me a bit ... mushy, for lack of a better word. I have been thinking about the last four and a half years A LOT over the last few days. With each box that I have packed, I have had to look at each item - every book, every keepsake... and have recalled the memories and people attached to them. I never realized the menagerie that I had amassed in my teeny tiny office. I've also been prompted to think about the many people who have supported the beginning of my career in administration, whether it was directly or indirectly and two people came to mind whom I have come to regard as my mentors.
First is Lori. I have known Lori since I was in high school, where she taught English and was a teacher librarian, but I was never her student - then. She went on to become a Program Resource Teacher for Literacy, a role that I would eventually take on and become a member of her team when she was the Coordinator of Secondary Programs. I only worked on the team for two years because I missed being in the classroom but they were probably the two most influential years of my career. In was in this role that Lori schooled me on the importance of professionalism and understanding that for every one thing I knew about how decisions were being made and why, there were at least 10 things I didn't know and that there was a reason for the "not knowing". Through Lori, I came to appreciate the importance of self-awareness: the expression on the my face, the tone of my voice, my posture. I'm pretty transparent and regardless of whether or not my position on an issue was right, Lori taught me that sometimes we have to be pragmatic with regards to the timing of expressing those opinions. It was not about "politicking", rather it was about avoiding the messiness of politics all together so that people paid attention to what was actually being said. When I forgot myself from time to time, there was a "look" across or kick under the table to remind me to keep my cool or shift gears slightly. I came to value the importance of engaging in on-going research to keep current and relevant and I learned to appreciate the value of continuous professional reading. I developed my love for delivering and participating in professional development and with Lori's encouragement, I became (I think) quite good it. We were a small but mighty team- Lori, a math consultant and two literacy PRTs whose jobs it was to support all secondary schools in all subject areas. Each year we would have to deal with budgetary cuts or changes to the way upper administration wanted things done, or there was a shift in priorities, but Lori's motto/mantra was always the same: "We make it work." What choice did we have? When working in an environment where there was a lot that was not within our control, we leverage what was - our skills, our talents, our creativity... We made the best use of the resources at our disposal. This was a lesson that served me well as a Vice Principal, whether in dealing with principals with very different leadership styles, or imparting the same advice to and supporting department heads dealing with cut budgets. Practicing the 'art' of making it work is what has allowed me to keep my equilibrium in times where I would have rather raged against the "machine" but to no useful end.
Second is Pina. Pina has been my VP partner since I began my journey in 2011. What's interesting about our relationship is that we have met twice - in my very first year as newly-hired teacher when she and Lori were both PRTs and delivering some in-servicing that was pivotal to my success in my first year, and again when I became a VP. She has supported me every step of the way in becoming the reluctant administrator to one who believes that this was the role I was meant to have. She was my sounding board and the voice of reason. We developed such an amazing working relationship that the principals we worked with allowed us to share portfolios, since we shared all the work anyway. The principal we worked with this year called us Thing 1 and Thing 2. We were always on the same wave length, with the odd disagreement here and there but what relationship doesn't have them? She always knew what I was doing and I her, so that if one was away, the other could easily pick up where the other left off. I have NEVER had a working relationship like this, where I could so completely trust my partner. We laughed A LOT. We shared a number of personal experiences and cried too. We have been frustrated and angered by much of what we would see coming in and out of the office each day and she would always tell me, since I have a number of years left in my career, to "...find something good in each day." It's quite simple, isn't it. It was a practical reflection that allowed me to gain perspective on some of those brutal days were throwing in the towel and returning to the classroom seemed far superior than being a VP. What has been interesting is that there has yet to be a day since becoming a VP where I've not been able to be thankful for at least one good thing. Sometimes Pina's support and advice was the good thing that I took away from a rough day and that was good enough. To know that I had her support and honesty was invaluable to me. Now that our working relationship has come to an end, I hope I can pay in forward.
Both Lori and Pina retired this year and I have enjoyed celebrating with them both. I'm so happy for them but their absence in our system will definitely be noticed. I never really valued having a mentor when I was a teacher because I always had a difficult time finding someone who was like-minded or who could at least appreciate what I was doing in the classroom. Both Lori and Pina saw the potential in the ideas I had and even if they were a bit different from mainstream thinking, they had faith in me to see them through and they fostered a sense of openness to "tweaking" along the way that I never had. It's amazing how a hard-headed and stubborn individual like myself became so open to collaboration just because I came to know these two people. I was a insular classroom teacher who always had to 'go it alone' but I changed my view of how I engage my profession because of Lori and Pina. I hope that all educators are afforded this same kind of gift in their career. It is truly priceless.
First is Lori. I have known Lori since I was in high school, where she taught English and was a teacher librarian, but I was never her student - then. She went on to become a Program Resource Teacher for Literacy, a role that I would eventually take on and become a member of her team when she was the Coordinator of Secondary Programs. I only worked on the team for two years because I missed being in the classroom but they were probably the two most influential years of my career. In was in this role that Lori schooled me on the importance of professionalism and understanding that for every one thing I knew about how decisions were being made and why, there were at least 10 things I didn't know and that there was a reason for the "not knowing". Through Lori, I came to appreciate the importance of self-awareness: the expression on the my face, the tone of my voice, my posture. I'm pretty transparent and regardless of whether or not my position on an issue was right, Lori taught me that sometimes we have to be pragmatic with regards to the timing of expressing those opinions. It was not about "politicking", rather it was about avoiding the messiness of politics all together so that people paid attention to what was actually being said. When I forgot myself from time to time, there was a "look" across or kick under the table to remind me to keep my cool or shift gears slightly. I came to value the importance of engaging in on-going research to keep current and relevant and I learned to appreciate the value of continuous professional reading. I developed my love for delivering and participating in professional development and with Lori's encouragement, I became (I think) quite good it. We were a small but mighty team- Lori, a math consultant and two literacy PRTs whose jobs it was to support all secondary schools in all subject areas. Each year we would have to deal with budgetary cuts or changes to the way upper administration wanted things done, or there was a shift in priorities, but Lori's motto/mantra was always the same: "We make it work." What choice did we have? When working in an environment where there was a lot that was not within our control, we leverage what was - our skills, our talents, our creativity... We made the best use of the resources at our disposal. This was a lesson that served me well as a Vice Principal, whether in dealing with principals with very different leadership styles, or imparting the same advice to and supporting department heads dealing with cut budgets. Practicing the 'art' of making it work is what has allowed me to keep my equilibrium in times where I would have rather raged against the "machine" but to no useful end.
Both Lori and Pina retired this year and I have enjoyed celebrating with them both. I'm so happy for them but their absence in our system will definitely be noticed. I never really valued having a mentor when I was a teacher because I always had a difficult time finding someone who was like-minded or who could at least appreciate what I was doing in the classroom. Both Lori and Pina saw the potential in the ideas I had and even if they were a bit different from mainstream thinking, they had faith in me to see them through and they fostered a sense of openness to "tweaking" along the way that I never had. It's amazing how a hard-headed and stubborn individual like myself became so open to collaboration just because I came to know these two people. I was a insular classroom teacher who always had to 'go it alone' but I changed my view of how I engage my profession because of Lori and Pina. I hope that all educators are afforded this same kind of gift in their career. It is truly priceless.
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