President's Day was this previous week, and as I enjoyed my day off in honor of our past presidents (thank you to our presidents), I reflected on how lonely that position must have felt. Every decision was met with frustration. Every event sparked criticism for "lack of leadership". Some presidents left a legacy. Some left a catastrophe, and some left nothing that anyone can remember. But there is one thing that all of them left.
Now apply this to our campus and district leaders. If you think about school leaders you have had or currrently have, you have to ask yourself this question. How many things are they protecting us from that we know absolutely nothing about?
How many conferences or calls have occurred to protect the school's people and time?
How much planning takes place to ensure that others have what they need to be successful?
What decisions do they make knowing that it is the right thing to do, but it generates a lot of backlash or frustration?
Campus and district leaders have more required of them than ever before and that list grows every time a bad situation or new initiative develops in the educational landscape. Think about this. The school leader at the turn of the 20th century was responsible for opening the doors, getting the fire going, and hiring teachers. There were few other requirements. Today's educational leader must know everything from learning to safety to technology conflict resolution to community partnerships and finally complicated systems to do just about everything inside the school.
If you haven't been in a leadership role, it's hard to fathom just how much they do on a daily basis. In honor of school leaders, I would like to encourage you to take time to thank them for all that they do including the work that you will never know about. Even if you don't like them or don't align with their thinking, thank them. They were hired to do a very difficult job to the best of their ability.
Just like our students and teachers need affirmation and encouragement, so do our leaders. They go above and beyond in ways we will never understand and probably will never see. Nonetheless, they deserve our words of appreciation and honor, just like our presidents do once a year.
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