Family First

As I write this week, I'm surrounded by "to-do" lists: Professional, personal, pre-Christmas, travel, and others. It's the way that I organize my life, with actual, physical "to-do" lists on yellow legal pads. Yes, it's old school but it works for me.

I'm also surrounded by My Boys, as we watch the World Cup. I did not grow up watching soccer or being interested in soccer. I've morphed into a soccer fan because Brendan and Patrick played, at times competitively, in travel soccer leagues. Given their interest in soccer, that becomes my interest in soccer. 

In East Greenwich we are on the verge of the Holiday Recess. Including weekends, it's ten days away from our work together in education. A well deserved break, time carved out for rest, relaxation, and time to recharge. I shared a graphic with our staff this week, which indicated that our employees are "always on" when it comes to education: 

Photo courtesy of www.edutopia.com

It's time for a break. By the time Friday, December 23 is checked off the calendar, we will have had seventy four days with our learners, with one hundred six left on the other side of this time off. All of our employees, regardless of their role, have dealt with the emotions of education since our first day of school in August. We've felt every high, been touched deeply by every low, and met every feeling in between. That's not isolated to our teachers. It's felt by every individual who is in a building, and it radiates to all of us who work outside of the six buildings in EG, through district level work. 

It's felt by our Techology Department, who have kept all six buildings running smoothly with consistent internet access. It's felt by our Facitlites Department, who have responded promptly and efficiently to the needs of the aging infrastructure in need of upgrades. No one calls either of these departments to thank them for things running as expected. Much like our Town Departments, they only get called when things go wrong. 

It is time for a break. It's time to put our families first. It's time to surround ourselves with people that know us best, who support the work we do on a daily basis, on behalf of someone else's children. It's time to put our own families first. 

These weeks between Thanksgiving and the Winter Holiday Recess are some of the most challenging in education. They're full of anticipation and stress, regardless of our age. They remind us that families are imperfect, and that this time of year reminds us of those who no longer gather around our holiday tables. Plus for those for whom family is not "Normal Rockwell-esque," it's additional pressure. 

So with gratitude for all of the employees of East Greenwich Public Schools, I hope that this week is something that you can make for yourselves. That is can be full of self-care, as well as surrounded by those who are important to you. I know that it how I hope to spend these days. 

When the "to-do" lists are crossed off, or done at some level, I hope that this time can remind us of who we are as people. Not employees of the best public school district in the state of Rhode Island. But mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, aunts, uncles, cousins, and family members. That is our most important role. What we do in education is critical; but who we are as people comes first. 

Photo courtesy of www.picturequotes.com

Out of My Comfort Zone

I did something this week that I've never done before. It was something that I needed to do. I joined a class at a local gym to try to get into better shape. 

I've never been much of an athlete, topping out at junior varsity basketball and baseball while running track all four years of high school. Instead of playing basketball and baseball, I turned to officiating to stay close to the sports I love. The only sports I played in college were intramurals while I continued officiating. As my life progressed, I was happy to do a little running, a little walking, a little officiating, and keep myself healthy. 

Then I let life and Father Time begin to intervene. I was not running as often as I wanted to and finally stopped altogether. That was fine, my weight was still in a place I was OK with. Then I had the conversation with my doctor, who told me that the amount of exercise had nothing to do with weight loss anymore. I had reached that age. 

Exercise now was exclusively for my mental health. My diet was now in direct control of my weight. I saw a two as the first number of my weight for the first time in my life. 

So I joined a class that meets three days a week, from 5:30 - 6:30 AM, to help get me in better shape. My only problem is that this is my first time in a class like this. I've never worked out with weights or other people before. Of course, I've been to team practices, but I went to high school in the late eighties and early nineties, and the weight room was almost exclusively for the football team. 

Fortunately, the other members of my class looked like me and admitted they're like me at our first session. Almost all are dads, trying to find a way to beat the all-too-quick passage of time and stay healthy as our children grow. It's a humbling experience. 

At least once during each class, I don't think I'm going to make it through all the circuits. There is often at least one of the exercises that I cannot do all of the reps for. And since I've never lifted weights before (in my life), I'm certainly the person with the least amount of additional weight on the bar. 

I am absolutely and utterly uncomfortable in that class. 

But I've made it through every class. I've completed all the circuits. I may not do all the reps... yet, but I am doing as many as I can. I'm training muscles that have never been used before (and are pretty sore) in the hopes that they will grow with me. 

That's what we want for all our learners in East Greenwich Public Schools, students and adults alike. We want them to grow. If we want all our learners to grow, they must step outside of their comfort zones once in a while. To step out of your comfort zone takes courage. You must feel safe, welcomed, and included. That is our work, to continue to grow a foundation of inclusivity with relationships at the center. When our learners feel that, they will take a risk, go to a place they've never been before, and hopefully grow. 

The truth is, that's how and when we all will grow; when we are out of our comfort zone. 

Photo courtesy of www.priohio.com

Going Far

There is an African proverb that says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." I've been thinking about this quote, especially as I continue to learn and grow into the superintendency in East Greenwich. There's a lot of wisdom in that quote. 

There is a lot of positional authority and power in the role of superintendent. Yet, as I often tell people, the only thing I can do without consulting the School Committee, or our policies, is to decide on a snow day. After very thoughtful conversations with our Teachers' Association, traditional snow days are back this year in East Greenwich. 

So besides snow days, there are very few, if any, decisions that I can make unilaterally. Let me rephrase that: there are very few, if any, decisions that I want to make unilaterally. That's not why I became a superintendent. 

In fact, twenty years ago, I was certain I did not want to be a superintendent. One of the seminal moments of my relationship with My Wife occurred outside Bagel Rising on Commonwealth Avenue in Allston, MA. The shop itself was too full to sit inside, so while sitting on the curb eating our bagel sandwiches, my then-girlfriend looked right at me and said, "Ricca, you're going to be a great superintendent one day!"

I did not know where to start my rebuttal to that statement. I was a self-contained first-grade teacher at the time. Twenty-four first graders were my professional world, and I loved it. To this day, if I ever leave leadership, I want to go right back to first grade. Still, at the time, I had no desire for the superintendency. From my perspective, superintendents were paper pushers who worked with school committees, far away from the classroom. 

Fast forward to 2011, and with some (OK, a lot) encouragement from My Wife, I applied for my first superintendency. I did not expect to be called back after the first round of interviews or the second round. As I left the Montpelier High School Library after my presentation in the third round, I did not expect to have landed the position. In fact, when my first School Board Chair, Ms. Sue Aldrich, called me to offer me the job, my initial response was, "Are you sure?" When she said, "That's not what you want to hear from your next superintendent," I quickly accepted the position. 

Still, I was struggling with the distance from the classroom. Let me clarify my perceived distance from the school. Someone reminded me that I was entirely in control of my schedule, so I made time for classroom visits. As I grew in my leadership, I added office hours, virtually, in-person, and for the community. I did not know my superintendent as a student. I want our students to know me and that my job is to ensure that they feel safe, welcomed, and included when they come to school so they can learn to their fullest potential. 

I know I cannot do this alone. I could not do it alone in Montpelier. I did not do it alone in St. Johnsbury. I want to do it with the students, faculty, staff, families, and community members in East Greenwich. 

At the Inauguration on Thursday, December 1, everyone who spoke talked about the value of collaboration. The value of twelve elected officials working in service to this town. The value of disagreeing without being disagreeable. The value of continuing to build bridges, connections, and relationships. 

As one of the newest members to join this work, this is music to my ears. Relationships are the basis of our work in education, with no exceptions. In our classrooms, in leadership, and in working with the community, it's about relationships. This is how we make a difference. If I was to ask you to name your favorite teacher(s), I'm confident that immediately you would be able to name an educator, not because of the content s/he taught, but because of how that person made you feel. 

We have an opportunity in East Greenwich, a rare opportunity to go far on behalf of our Town. 

And to do so together. 

Photo courtesy of www.therandomvibez.com