I know transitioning in as someone less experienced will be hard. But I’m sure I’ll gain their trust in no time. Right now, they have no reason to believe I’m equipped to do this job. Truth be told, I don’t really know what I’m doing. Don’t know what I’m expected to do. I was handed the keys to the school with little direction. But I’ll pick it up soon enough.
Teaching had always been my dream, but I realized soon enough that I cared more about making sure that the kids had what they needed than being the person in the classroom instructing them. This position gives me a bigger opportunity to make sure they have the tools to succeed.
I have a bigger impact.
It won’t just be my classroom. It’ll be every classroom.
I want the kids to dream big. To know they can make it as far as they want. I want them to chase their goals. To do what they thought could never be done. And I want to help empower them. Being the principal increases my ability to do just that.
The meeting ends thirty minutes later and I walk away with a smile on my face. When it ended, a few of the teachers walked up to me to introduce themselves. Even the teachers who looked at me with skepticism at the beginning walked up to me and said hello. They seemed a little more sure at the end of the meeting that I wasn’t going to mess it all up.
I walk over to my office, close the door behind me, and then take a seat at my desk. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, releasing all the tension and anxiety I’ve been holding.
A knock on the door startles me. “Hi, sorry to interrupt,” Hannah, who was introduced to me earlier as my assistant, says. She’s around my age and I’m really hoping that she doesn’t think I was sleeping. On the job. On my first day.
“No worries, I was just…” I start, making sure she doesn’t get the wrong impression.
“Taking a deep breath?” she finishes for me and I smile, relieved she’s not judging me.
“Yeah. That was a lot,” I tell her honestly.
“Didn’t expect to have this job so early in your career?” she asks and I don’t sense any judgment in her voice, just curiosity.
I nod. “I’ve only been teaching for two years. To think that I’m now in charge, of basically everything and everyone, is a lot to take in.”
She walks all the way into the room and takes a seat on one of the two chairs in front of my desk. “You’re still teaching.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, a little confused.
“You’re teaching teachers how to be better teachers. You’re teaching students about the responsibilities of their actions. You’re still going to be teaching, so think about it like that.”
I never thought about this position being one where I’d still get to teach. “I thought this job was finding out what everyone needed and making it happen.”
“That’s your main job, but this is an elementary school. From your time teaching, you know that children are sponges that absorb everything. They’ll learn from you, whether you want them to or not.”
I smile. “This is true.” I decide to be more trusting than usual and ask Hannah a few questions. “So, be honest, am I in over my head here?”
She shakes her head. “Nonsense. If anything, you’re exactly what we need. A breath of fresh air. New ideas. New energy.”
“Do you think the other teachers will appreciate a new perspective from someone who hasn’t been doing it as long as they have and now gets to tell them what to do?” I ask candidly.
“Absolutely. It won’t happen all at once, but you’ll get most of them on board. As long as you do a good job, it won’t matter how long you’ve been doing it.”
“How do I start getting them on my side?” I ask. I really want them to like me because that would make my job a lot easier.
“You’ve already started. That line about coming to you if they’re lacking any resources, that definitely earned you some brownie points.”
“That’s what I was aiming for!” Talking to Hannah is so easy. Even though I met her earlier today, her personality is already making me feel comfortable.
“You’ll be fine,” she says with the certainty I lack. Her words and unfounded confidence in me are helping me believe that I can, in fact, do this. Coming back here is a risk I never thought I would take. But I’m hoping I made the right decision.
6
CHRISTIAN
“Daddy, I’m home!” I hear Ari yell as she runs through the front doors of our home. “Grandma and I went out again!” It’s Friday and already I haven’t been able to pick Ari up from school this entire week. Mom’s been helping me out and staying with her until I get out of work, but I miss my little girl.
“Where’d you guys go?” I ask her as I walk out of the kitchen and meet her in the living room.
“She took me for ice cream again,” her huge smile says it all.
I pick her up from the floor, lift her, and hug her tightly. “Your grandma is always spoiling you.”
“That’s because I’m a princess,” she says resolutely.
I nod. “You are.”
“And a warrior,” she adds and I smile.
“This is true,” I tell her, kissing the top of her head.
“And a fighter,” I laugh at that last one.
“But you don’t get into fights, right?” That’s not something I’d ever want her to do. Defend herself, yes. I teach her to defend herself always. But not seek out fights. I want to raise her to be better than me.
She shakes her head. “No, Daddy. What I mean when I say I’m a fighter is that I don’t give up.”
“Ohhh, so you’re not a quitter,” I clarify and she nods.
“Exactly!” Her arms hold me tightly as I pick her up and walk us over to the kitchen. “So, now that you’ve had your ice cream, think you’ve got space in your belly for dinner?”
“In a few minutes, I’ll be hungry again.”
I set her down on the floor when we reach the kitchen. “Do you wanna go upstairs, shower, and change into pajamas? Then maybe you’ll be hungry enough to eat.”
“And then can we watch a movie, Daddy?” she asks.
Just like my mom, I can’t say no to her either, so I guess we’re all spoiling Ari. She’s a good kid though, deserves everything I can possibly give to her and more. “I don’t know,” I tell her, putting on resistance I know won’t last.
“Pretty pleaseeee,” she begs, looking up at me with the puppy dog eyes she knows get her what she wants every time. I crouch down so we’re eye to eye.
“Give me three reasons why we should watch a movie,” I tell her, “And then we’ll see if that convinces me.” I read somewhere that allowing kids to try and use arguments to convince you to do what they want helps them develop their intelligence, so I’ve been making Ari do it.
I look at my daughter’s face as she thinks of the best three reasons she could possibly use to convince me. The reality is, she doesn’t have to work that hard, we’re definitely watching a movie. My mom always said that everything’s a teaching moment though, so I let her continue.