Challenges

"Most good relationships are built on mutual trust and respect."
-Mona Sutphen

I'm not sure what I would've written about this week if yesterday had gone differently. It's possible I would've written something about the importance of getting our kids to see Sullivan as home so that 20 years from now our best and brightest are already here for homecoming week rather than hoping to see them drop by for the football game on Friday night before heading back to some other town they have chosen to call home. I think those things are important, and I will likely write about them in a future post, but after what we experience here in the office last week, I just want to leave you all with the following words of encouragement:

1. Build relationships with your students. It is so critical that our kids feel they have at least one adult in our building that genuinely cares about them. Try to be that adult for as many kids as you can. Look for opportunities to connect with them. Often times, those caring adults are the first ones to notice warning signs that there is something major going on with a student. These kids are good at masking the turmoil they are in, but if you really get to know them, you'll be able to see through their attempts at camouflage.

2. Understand that a student's reaction to you is very rarely actually about you. Whether it is disrespect in class or blowing up over consequences for misbehavior, you aren't the reason for their reaction; you are simply the person standing in front of them at that moment. They were already on that path, you just happened to be in the way. These reactions are generally misplaced anger, resentment, hostility that comes from other issues in their life that they don't feel they have as much control over. When this happens, remember Number 1.

3. Not every student is going to accept our help right away if ever. It is unrealistic for us to expect to reach every student every year. We do not wear capes. Sometimes students are just not ready to accept what we are offering, but do not give up, and do not forget Number 1.

I'm not writing all of this because I think you don't know it. I'm writing all of this to encourage you to not give up on doing it. I see it happening in our building every day, and I know it is exhausting, but it matters, and we do things that matter even when they are difficult. Keep being amazing!

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