Principal’s Eye View
Everything ends. There are so many things, moments, events throughout my life that I wish lasted longer, but they too came to an end. Everything ends.
By now, if you are part of the district I work in or are a friend of mine, you likely already know that I have accepted a new position as Administrator for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in our district starting March 11th bringing my tenure as Principal to a close. I am beyond excited for the opportunity to continue the important work I care so deeply about on a larger level. Still, it means my time as Principal will, like everything else, end.
I know for some thinking about endings is either sad or pessimistic, for we all want the best things in our lives to last forever. I think knowing that endings are always part of every story helps us savor what we have and even appreciate the ending. It is the ending that allows us to reflect on what was and relive those happy memories with loved ones. It is in the ending that learning exists, it’s hard to draw on the lessons learned before we have an outcome. And, it is in the ending that we have new beginnings.
Our seniors are quickly approaching the end of their high school experience. That end is full of excitement and anticipation as the next part of the lives are about to begin. The end of high school comes with ceremony, tradition and celebration. The end of high school also comes with uncertainty, anxiety and the fear of the unknown. As my own ending approaches I have the some of the same feelings. In fact, we all experience this wide range of emotion when any of our many endings in life cascade toward us.
Endings, like beginnings, are to be savored and relished. We should all look back on what we have accomplished, how we have changed and what we can do next. My upcoming ending brings with it a new challenge that I can’t quite anticipate yet, but one I cannot wait to begin. I will write some more in the next few weeks about what I see as I look back on this stage of my career. In the meantime I will continue to celebrate this ending. Everything ends.
