Mission Never Accomplished

While I am hating all the setbacks that have come with this pandemic, it has provided me time to do all the things that I say I have no time to do.  While cleaning out the garage, we sat and sorted through some boxes and totes that were a mystery when it came to their contents.  We got to take a great trip down memory lane with old pictures that turned into stories to tell the kids.  One box turned up a couple old newspaper articles that were written when I started my tenure at Central Junior High School.

I remember that interview like it was yesterday.  I remember calling each teacher and just talking to them.  I remember the massive ring of keys that were left for me.  I remember pouring over old files in the office learning everything I could about my new school.  Then I realized that that article hit the paper almost ten years ago.  I will be entering my tenth year as the Principal of CJHS on July 1st.

I read the article.  A few lines stuck out for reflection.  Bob Ellis of the Daily American wrote that I exuded confidence and I had a keen attitude for getting the job done.  After a short bio and a couple accomplishments at Elverado I found this quote from me, "Student success comes first.  That not only means that we should be on the cutting edge of how to educate students but we must be willing to raise the bar for them so that they may exceed their own expectations."  I really enjoyed reading this for one really big reason.

I feel like this is something I would have said last week.  I have had a lot of one of a kind experiences at CJHS.  I have the honor of awards and the agony of working though troubled waters.  Over this time I am most proud of the idea that I feel like I am on the same mission from where I started.  Many things have changed around me, but I have stayed on mission.  I looked through he faces of this picture.  After having a couple mental laughs, I realized that these kids got the same me that my students will get in August.

Principals these days do not last this long in their schools.  One report has the average stay of a middle school Principal as 4.48 years.  Another report says that only 11% of principals stay ten years or more at one school.  My current contract will take me through year twelve.  If you find yourself in this rare air, I hope you are still on mission like you were on day one.  Because this mission is never accomplished.  There is no finish line.  The mission is the pursuit of serving students in the best way possible.  The job of the Principal is a tough one and we have to settle for it never being done.