In Gratitude

I've been catching up on the 10% Happier Podcast from Dan Harris, recommended to me by My Wife. On an episode from October of 2018, the guest was Shawn Achor. Achor's definition of happiness is compelling: Happiness is the joy you feel moving toward your potential.

One of the elements that contributes to happiness is gratitude, and Achor has an exercise that points us more toward happiness than cynicism. Achor suggests that we write three things we are grateful for each day, but add the reason why we are thankful for these things. The "why" is critical to the exercise. According to Achor, doing this exercise consistently for 21 days will transform a pessimist into an optimist.

Taking a cue from Achor, here are three things that I'm grateful for having served the St. Johnsbury School District this year, as well as the why.

1. The emphasis on relationships. This is the centerpiece to my leadership and something that abounds in the St. Johnsbury School District. We put people first because the work of education is deeply personal. Faculty and staff pour themselves into their work, serving the students and the families of St. Johnsbury. We make mistakes, we admit them, we apologize, and we move on. It is always, always, always about relationships.

2. Kindness. In my remarks to the 8th Grade Class of 2019, I mentioned that this is perhaps the most polarized time I can remember in our country's history. We live in a world full of social media retorts, acting first, then asking questions, and a lack of face-to-face communication. In St. Johnsbury, I've been a part of and witnessed hard conversations in person, where we tell the truth with compassion, and we model empathy. In a world where we can be anything, kindness matters.

3. Teaching and learning for all students. I was humbled to learn of the singular focus established by the Leadership Team when I started in September, and I saw it in action in all corners of our work this year. One of the ways that this was most evident to me was during our contract negotiations with our labor units. We were settled with a new contract in three sessions - literally, just three sessions. I know colleague superintendents who have needed more than three sessions to establish negotiating ground rules. The fact that this is the reality in St. Johnsbury points to a commitment by our labor units to put students first. This is a credit to them and to the School Board.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve in a school district where students come first, where kindness is present, and where we emphasize relationships.

We are St. Johnsbury, and I am proud to be a part of it!

Photo Courtesy of www.truenorthcf.org

A Belief in What is Possible

Yesterday afternoon, I traveled to the Collins Perley Arena in St. Albans City for a celebration of life for someone who I was grateful to have for a colleague and more importantly, a friend. Ned Kirsch passed away earlier this spring far too soon and left an indelible imprint on the landscape of Vermont education. I miss him.

The room was full of Ned's family and friends; there were educational leaders, Vermont educational officials, and people whose lives he had touched. And there were students. Students sang "These Green Mountains" at the beginning of the celebration, and spoke beautifully about the relationships he formed with them. Ned was always about the impact of our leadership on students. No matter what you were talking about, for him, it was always, always, always about the students.

This blog itself is a tribute to Ned. If I trace back to my first post on this blog, it came on September 4, 2012, but I needed to look almost three years later to the summer of 2015 when I started writing regular, weekly blogs. That happened after a conversation with Ned.

I pulled him aside at one of the All Members' Meetings of the Vermont Superintendent's Association because I saw how the folks in Franklin West Supervisory Union blogged weekly. And I wanted to know what the secret was. How does someone as busy as Ned make the time to write something weekly? There was no way - he had to have some gimmick, some trick, some way to make it work...

When I asked him what his secret was, he smiled and was quick to tell me: You make the time. You make the time for what's important. You make it part of your weekly routine, and it will stick. It might be challenging at the beginning as you introduce something new to your professional to do list, but after a few weeks, it will nestle itself into a familiar place in your world.

That was four years ago, and I have not missed a week of blogging while we have students in our buildings.

When I first asked the question, I didn't think I would have time to write weekly.

When I first thought about where the time would come, I didn't know it would exist in my week.

When I first tried to write weekly, I didn't think I could sustain it and worried that I wouldn't have anything meaningful to say.

Ned, I miss you. Thank you for nudging me and showing me what is possible.

Photo courtesy of www.digitalpromise.org