...and *BOOM* - just like that....

Well, our new principal has been at the helm now for a little more than 2 weeks, and he is doing a fantastic job. This means that he hasn’t disrupted the flow of things too much, but added his little touches that make him the great leader he is. Clearly, I am loving this new guy. I had been waiting for the opportunity to work with an administrator who truly inspires me - one who could lead a group of people, who could find balance in his work, one who really appreciates and reaches out to his staff, one who truly enjoys his work - and I know it is early, but I think this guy is it.

I was reflecting on the process this "new guy" had to go through in order to take over a school in our position - a new school, a year and a half in the making, the recent bringing-together of two separate staffs, and the fresh move-in and all that entails - and I realized: *BOOM* - just like that we are an established school with an existing culture, with our own set of morals and beliefs. I had always maintained that starting a new school was exciting because we all came together and started something with no baggage, meaning that no one could stop something from happening with the simple, yet deadly phrase: that’s not how we are used to doing things.

We came together to start something fresh. Now it is no longer fresh - it is established, and at the risk of going stale. This new guy has to contend with how things we done, and even though we are new, everyone knows how set-in-our-ways teachers are, and how incredibly resistant to change we are. So he has to navigate our waters, and though he is our leader, he (wisely so, I believe) has to stay the course regardless of where he believes we should go (What a great nautical metaphor!). Thank goodness we are going in a good direction! :)

The one thing going for us, in terms of staying off the entrenchment, is that we are still, for the most part, figuring out our school culture. The walls between the two different sites are slowly crumbling, with people more-freely crossing lines drawn in the sand. We are still negotiating what it means to finally be together in our new building. So maybe this is best time to take over an established school.

We have a vision, but there is still opportunity for change.

Well, here’s to hoping!