Good Tired

John Lewis used to say that you have to get into "good trouble" if you are trying to make a difference.  He often used this phrase when talking about being arrested during the civil rights movement.  I have used a parallel phrase lately that in no way compares to the gravity of the civil rights movement, but heroes like him have inspired me to be relentless given the current pandemic condition of schools.  

I often say you have to be a "good tired" when it comes to these difficult times for our school families.  Work too hard and care too much.  This is how you can be a good tired.  Like a carpenter that ends the day scanning his work with pride and wondering how to make it better, we have to embrace working hard for our kids and teachers.  I know many that have written this school year off as a bust and in a lot of ways, I can't disagree.  We have run into our share of roadblocks.  But instead of being beat down about what you can't do, be beat down by how much you are doing.  I don't mean work yourself to death. We have to take care of ourselves, but work that you feel good about like a great visit to the gym.

My school has went in and out of remote learning more than once this year.  It is hard on everyone, but is necessary due to the conditions we are in.  Yes this is frustrating and yes it can be depressing.  Like it or not, your school family is looking to you as a leader to minimize the negative impact that the pandemic has had.  We do not have the luxury of sitting back and throwing our hands up.

If I could speak to other admins that might be lost or struggling, I would say don't stop even if in-person learning does.  We have to be models of persistence and resiliency with our students.  Probably most importantly, we have to remind our community that we are still the guiding institution that they need us to be.  We have lots of annual events that we may have to do virtually, but we won't skip them.  When we do, it feels less like school and more like a pandemic.

I won't lie.  I do feel like I am working way to hard.  I'm often wiped out when I get home and I didn't even do a 15 hour day with a ballgame in it.  I'm tired, but I am satisfied with my effort for kids teachers and families.  That's a good tired.  There is a lot of good tired going around.  I love scrolling through Twitter to see all the ways leaders are keeping everyone connected when it is so difficult to do so.  Finding ways to help kids know that their school cares about them is a lot of work so thank you for doing it.  Leaders and teachers, be proud to be a good tired.