August 28, 2013

Today was one of those days you get to experience as a principal. I did continue with my short-term march to success with a 6am walk around the golf course. (Yay!) The dewy grass may lead me to another place, but I do always enjoy the scene of the golf course. It's one of my favorite places in the world; a sanctuary, if you will. Today was Open House day, so this means a VERY LONG day. I got to school at 6:50am and left the school at 8:10pm. There is a ton to do, so it isn't like an assembly line or anything like that. What it is though is time-intensive. I enjoy the work, but realize there's more. In the 9th grade meeting, I had about 100 parents really buying into the high school and what we'll do for them. In reality, we will. Several parents complimented the presentation and hopefully are happy that little Junior will have some supervision during their pre-adult years. As a principal for 16 years, I take pride in the environment our students will encounter. It's one of academia, expectation and motivation. It take a bunch to enact this, but it does happen. It doesn't hurt to hear of the students coming back and telling the freshmen that their principal is cool. I was also happy to make some teachers happy and looking forward to the year because they were getting something. At this moment, we're giving teachers a portable computer if they complete voluntary training. 75% of our reluctant staff participated. The mood afterward was strong. I realize that, left to our own devices, we can turn this crew around. They are like a dormant plant waiting to sprout. I need to use my own energy to transform this organization. To do that, I need to keep with my goals!