It Might Seem Simple to You. . .

Can I just point out how absolutely ridiculous it is that I still can’t figure out how to get a picture on this blog after ONE FULL YEAR OF BLOGGING?!

argh! I’m headed back to High School’s New Face, the conference in Ellicottville, New York where I first met Will Richardson and learned about blogs, podcasts and wikis. We’re there all week–please, for crying out loud, can someone sit down with me, open my blog, and remediate me? I’ll buy you a cold one, or two, I swear–just a little AIS on adding pictures. Everyone else has these cool pics in their posts and one in the sidebar of the author–I’d like to add some of that after ONE YEAR.  

This is a blatant cry for free tutoring–blogging friends at HSNF-please.

What Are We Meant To Do?

I’m really bothered by the idea of leaving behind the principalship. I love this job, my relationships with students, staff and parents. I look forward to coming to school every day. Heck, walking into the building today, I thought “I love school, everything about it, the activity, the buildings, the safe atmosphere, the PEOPLE.” I belong here.

I’m not worried about the new job. I know I’ll work hard, learn what I need to do, make a difference there. I’m just worried about leaving the old one. I honestly think it’s because I’ve been good at it. Now I’m not saying that in a boastful way. I’m saying it because there are so many things I really stink at. Most things actually. I’m anything but an athlete, I can’t carry a tune, can’t cook or sew or do anything artistic. I don’t care for TV and I don’t find professional sports even slightly interesting. I don’t have any serious interests other than work. This is what I like to do. I’m not even a very good friend because I’d usually rather be at work than doing anything else. And I’m definitely not winning the mother of the year award any time soon.

I do like to go camping and boating. You know why? It provides me with lots of quiet time with my family and to read, think, reflect. Half the time I’m reading educational journals and books so that I can be better at my job.

So what if I’ve just given up the one thing I’m best at in life? What if I spend the next 13 years of my career saying, “geez, I was a great principal.”

Dr. Lloyd Elm was our graduation speaker two years ago. Dr. Elm said that we should find that one true thing we were sent here to do and that if we do that it will mean everything. Dr. Elm went on to say, “And if you do everything but miss that one true thing, it will be as if you’ve done nothing.” He mentioned me during his talk and said “your principal is doing that one thing.” What if I’m walking away from that one thing I’m meant to do?

Is my one true thing being a principal or serving our students, faculty and community as an educational leader? Will this provide me with a way to do my “one true thing” even better?

1 Year of Blogging

On July 11, 2006, I created G-Town Talks and posted for the first time. Since today’s July 13, 2007, that obviously means that I’ve been blogging for one year. And since I’ve been posting about two-three times per week every month, I guess I haven’t run out of things to say. It’s interesting to me that this blogging gig hasn’t died off because I’ve found a new interest. Instead it continues as part of my routine professional practice.

As I enter a new position, I wonder how it will affect the blog. Will I have as much to write about? Will I be so overwhelmed just learning the new job that I seldom have time to write? Will anyone care about the topics I’m involved in at the assistant superintendent’s level? Will it be any riskier to write from that level of management than it has been from the principal’s level?

When I consider those questions, I realize that they are the same questions I had last July. Considering that this blog’s primary purpose has been as a professional practice which helps me to process my own thinking, odds are I’ll continue to find success with it. And hopefully, readers will continue to comment which helps me to learn and consider other points of view. Perhaps I can even use it in a more public manner to influence thinking and solicit ideas of K-12 faculty and staff.