With Gratitude

I set out to write something inspiring for the Thanksgiving holiday, which, as I penned a year ago, I have long considered "the best day of the year." It has, for me, the camaraderie, the food, the family, and even a little bit of football, which for me, growing up, meant sitting in the usually frigid stands of MacDonald or Hormel Stadium watching the Golden Tornadoes play the Mustangs (bonus points if you know the rivalry).

This year, though, I was less nostalgic and more in the moment, and reflecting more on the things for which I am thankful professionally and personally on a somewhat more selfish level than necessarily waxing poetic about some cold morning back home. I fully understand the irony of the adjective "selfish" in the context of a day that by its very name sets to reflect gratitude, but, the reality is that I am quite selfishly thankful for the good fortune that has been shared with me, even amidst some great challenges.

I thought about the many faculty members, community members, citizens, and students took time to personally share with me their sadness of the synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh last month, and how I was grateful for their consideration and compassion, even when they did not truly comprehend the magnitude of such an event to one of the few Jewish members of their community.

I thought about a faculty that welcomed 18 (!) new faces to its midst this year and adjusted rather seamlessly to the addition of another 130 students to our school, and who, to a person, has adapted to many challenges and initiatives that have come their way. I thought about the 18 "new" people who have been flexible and willing to adjust to a new boss, new colleagues, new culture, and have also done so, well, seamlessly. 

I thought about how different my career would be different without the support of some of the best professionals I know - and how very fortunate our students are to have these people as their educators, supports, and advocates - even when times get difficult. 

I thought about our students and parents, who have shared with me many perspectives, some which I share, some which I do not, and how we have used those as an opportunity for dialogue, even when we do not agree. I thought about consensus and progress, and how we respect each other even in disagreement, something that is all too often lost in the social media world of anonymous comments and accountability-free castigations.

I thought about our leadership team, which strengthens me and each other, determined to build bridges and share goals more explicitly and directly than we have in the past, and I thought about those who brought us together and are now charged with keeping us in sync, and how we are fortunate to have the ability to reflect and critique each other, with our staffs and students in mind, even when people do not see these everyday conversations, texts, emails, etc.

I thought about the opportunity that UHS has had to lead on a statewide level, to bring our region closer to re-imagining education of the future, and to share our successes with many schools and colleagues, instead of merely "going about our business." I thought about the industry partners who have trusted us with training the workforce of tomorrow and who have shared their expertise and energy with us, and those who have provided us resources for our students that I never could have imagined when I sat down for turkey and stuffing a year ago.

I thought about wins and losses, inspiring artists and singers, clubs and activities that operate without stipended advisors who care about the good of students, about quizzes and tests and projects and iPads and everything in between, because our students really do have so many opportunities provided them by the school and community, even when resources are potentially challenging.

I thought about how some places put their core values on a wall, or in a Handbook, or on banners - and do not see those ideas come to life in classrooms every day, because of a universal commitment to a collective purpose. I thought about my good fortune to know that the school we have is one to which others aspire., because when we come to work, we come to work, and we come to inspire. And I thought about our pending accreditation visit and acknowledge with a strong degree of confidence that this will be far different than previous experiences for this community, for no reason other than that commitment and shared purpose.

And, yes, my thoughts even turned to my own family, who compromise so much for me and let me work the way I think the job ought to be done, even when that means time away from them.

Yes, this time of year is an opportunity for reflection. It's a time for thought. It's a time for consideration. And most importantly, it is a time for thanks. 

For all those things about which I have thought, and more, I say thank you, Uxbridge. Happy Thanksgiving.