Only 35 More Fridays to Go...

So make the most of this and every Friday!

That was how I started my email to the faculty for today.  As the first week of school draws to a close I learned two very important lessons (IMO):

1. There is more in my "to learn" bucket right now than there is in my "I know this!" bucket  and

2. What I know doesn't matter so much as how I handle what comes across my desk

My second point is going to be critical as the "I'm new to this office" excuse will only last for so long.  In the mean time, I feel I worked hard to set a great tone with faculty, staff, parents and students this week.  I was out of my office more than I was in it.  I was in classrooms, directing students, answering questions for parents, solving problems, sharing ideas, listening to concerns.

There were questions asked for which I honestly had no answer.  I had to say so.  That is pretty humbling.  But no one seemed to mind.  Perhaps because I was honest?  Perhaps because it was a human response?  I am not sure.  But I do know that at the end of the day, and at the end of the week, at least at the end of this first week, I had far more people telling me how grateful they were for what I was doing and telling me that it was o.k. to not have an answer.  Wow!  I wonder if I ever told a student that it was o.k. that they didn't have an answer.  Probably not.  This is an important point to remember as I will have many students in my office in the coming months and I am willing to bet that at least a few of them will not have an answer to a question I will ask them.

So, we have 35 more Fridays until summer vacation (not counting holidays).  My goal: To make the most of each and every one because at the end of the day, I may not have cleared my "in box" and I may not have known the answer to every question.  But I will know that I did my best and attempted to handle each situation with honesty, compassion, and realism.  And that, to me, is making the most of my day.

Photo from http://pt.wikihow.com/Organizar-sua-Vida

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