Renewal

If there are flaws they are in ourselves, and our task therefore must be one not of redesign but of renewal and reaffirmation, especially of the standards in which all of us believe.
-Elliot Richardson

Over the weekend, my parents renewed their wedding vows as a way of commemorating their 40th anniversary. It was a nice reminder that there are times when it is appropriate to renew commitments or reaffirm that which we have already affirmed. I was having a conversation with a few teachers as conferences were wrapping up on Thursday evening, and as I talked about the programs Ms. Keifer would be starting to take over in the coming week, one of the teachers asked if that meant I would be out in hallways and classrooms again. 

The question made me very excited because I took it to mean that teachers were seeing the same things I thought I was seeing. I really felt like the first month of school was fantastic. Things were going really well, and I attributed that to not only teachers being on their "A Game" but also that I was able to spend about half of every day in hallways and classrooms. Unfortunately, the second month of school presented us with some challenges that required me to spend a much greater amount of time in my office than I would like, and as a result, I believe we have seen some of the momentum we had in the first month begin to slide over the last couple of weeks. 

Thankfully, much like my parent's 40th anniversary, we now have an opportunity for renewal. We do not need to redesign what we believe. More than at any time during my time at SMS, I feel like we are aligned on the "standards in which all of us believe". Beginning this week, I am reaffirming my commitment to be in the hallways and in your classroom providing support and leadership so that we can achieve those standards once again.

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