The First Few Weeks

Hiking around King Mountain, Larkspur, CA

Two and a half weeks in as Principal. Welcome back dinner and popsicles, hundreds of kids and families, lost soccer balls, iPads deployed, Back to School Night, parent data entry, yard duty, carline duty, garden meetings, after school enrichment meetings. Check, check, check. Kids? Check. Teachers and staff? Check. The first few weeks have been busy, but I didn't really expect anything different. I expected twists and turns, and I have truly loved and embraced them all.

Yes, I'm a little more tired than usual - no big deal. Being a new Principal isn't all twists and turns, I have many perks. For instance, settling into the TK classes to play with the dinosaurs, or perhaps talk to a kiddo about which animal should be yellow ("All of them!"). There are more perks, too. I have the unique opportunity to work with a Mentor Principal (I'm technically an Intern) who is guiding and supporting, asking me questions along the way and co-principaling the heck out of this school with me on a daily basis. He's basically like an octopus with super powers, quick to smile and amazing with the kids. On top of this, I have the Dream Team... One click on #Voxer minutes later a challenge is solved. A quick text starts another conversation. The team might be spread all across Petaluma City Schools, but we are all just a click away.

The first few weeks are in and I have learned a lot thus far. 1) Think big and question the status quo. If people aren't saying, "I don't know about that - seems a little out there" I'm not doing my job in trying to push and innovate to change education. 2) Make the vision as visible as possible. I love carline. I love being out front and surprising families as I open the door with a smile. I love when I look over and staff members are doing the same. Smiles are contagious and make learning better. 3) It's all about the kids. Sounded cliche months ago, but I have had the opportunity to say 'yes' and 'no' to several ideas based on the needs of all our students. When it's all about the kids, tough conversations and decisions are a little easier to handle.

There will be more learning each day at McKinley School, and, probably some failing. That's ok, we try our best to 'fail up', so that no experience is ever devoid of learning.