Monday Morning Musings: Fearlessly Authentic

Principal ponderings...

Last week, I had a Dove chocolate and loved what I discovered in the wrapper. Be fearlessly authentic. As I think back over my four years here at Mayo, and actually all my years as an administrator, this is what I have strived to be. I only know how to be me. To be fearlessly authentic and real. I hope that I have inspired all of you to be you no matter what. Over the past several years, educators have been pushed to their breaking points. And many of us have been broken. What I hope more than anything to leave you with...stay true to you, be real, be fearlessly authentic.

People might not always agree with you. School leaders. Other teachers. Community members. Parents. People will try to change you. You might even think you need to change yourself. You might think you need to fit into someone else's mold. But our kids need us to be fearlessly authentic. Kids have the best "fakeness" radar. They know when adults are not being real. And they will tell you!

As I savored my Dove chocolate and reread the wrapper, I also thought about how much courage it takes to be fearlessly authentic. One might even go so far as to say you must be authentically fearless to be fearlessly authentic. You like what I did there? I can't help but play around with words. Remember, words of affirmation is definitely my love language! Don't be afraid to be you. It takes courage to be an educator these days. Between the pandemic and the racial crisis and the equity issues and communities divided and politics and school shootings and high stakes testing and...well you can Mad Lib your own fill in the blank endings to this sentence...but between all of that stuff educators have to suit up and wear their emotional and mental armor every day. While at the same time making sure that they leave a crack in the armor for their students to see them and connect with them. We have the incredibly difficult challenge of being brave AND being authentic.

As you finish up this extremely difficult year (who knew it was possible for this year to be more difficult than last year), make sure to find yourself under your armor. Reconnect with your students before we send them off on their own for the summer. I know I lost myself a little bit this year, but I am fighting my way back out into the open. I am trying to find that balance of being authentic and also being brave in the face of all the things in education and our world that are trying to change me.

Be brave.

Be real.

Be fearless.

Be authentic.

It will be the most important lesson that you teach your students this year. (And it will take the least amount of planning time.)

Currently reading:

I have been enjoying reading the sequel to Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. The book is called Out of My Heart and has the awesome main character Melody, who is a young non verbal girl confined to a wheelchair.

I was also excited to get Donalyn Miller's newest collaboration with Teri Lesesne...The Joy of Reading. Of course I dove into that one as soon as I took it out of the box when the delivery came!

Events this week:

Monday - Happy Memorial Day! No school

Tuesday - STAR Window opens, Panorama for 3rd-5th Window opens, Grade 5 Transition Meetings w/Mountview @ 3:30

Wednesday - Final Staff Meeting @ 8:00, Kindergarten Author's Tea @ 2:00

Thursday - CST Meeting @ 8:00 and 8:30, Kindergarten Author's Tea @ 2:00, Girls' Night @ 6:30 in the library

Friday - 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade concerts, 5th grade slideshow celebration, Kindergarten Author's Tea @ 2:00, End of the Year PTA Party and BOGO Book Fair from 6:00-8:00

Great things I noticed last week:

Loved catching 1st graders reading aloud to each other in the library.
Representatives from DESE asked to visit Mayo and see our awesome teachers at work. They are rolling out a new "look for" tool that combines early learning best practices, like playful learning and collaboration, with content standards and SEL guidelines. They were thrilled with what they saw happening in our 1st grade and 3rd grade classrooms. Thank you teachers for opening up your rooms on a Friday before a long weekend! It was an added bonus when the principal for the day told them..."yeah, I love going to this school." :)
Principal Collins totally represented this month's core value of courage so well on her day. That kids is fearless and loved visiting students in all grades! She also was quick to tell people that no they couldn't have a raise, but they could have Monday off for Memorial Day!
Lots of tears on Friday as 2nd grade said goodbye and good luck to Mr. O. He starts physical therapy school this week. And we sure hope he comes back to visit!