Mistakes Made.

Last night was the tenth year I was able to volunteer at our high school graduation.

It was also the last class I had as the middle school assistant principal. As we were downstairs getting students ready to line up and walk out a former student came up to me and apologized. He said he was sorry for all the ‘trouble’ he caused me in middle school. Honestly-I still don’t remember ‘the trouble’ he casused, but I will remember that he remembered me.

As an educator watching students walk across the stage I also have to think about the students who haven’t. The ones who dropped out, were expelled, or left for other circumstances. For every student I saw walk across the stage my heart sank a little for the ones who didn’t.

When I talk about being a “recovering middle-school assistant principal” I talk about the mistakes I made. The more time I could have spent understanding the ‘why’ of ‘what’ students were or were not doing in class. The learning I needed to have to fully understand the ACE’s students were walking into school with every day.

We may never fully know how much our time means with our students, some of us are lucky enough to hear it before they cross the stage, regardless we can never give up on any of them.

As many of you are heading into the summer, regroup and prepare for your next class. Your commitment to having high expectations, and using more heart than hammer will provide them a higher likelihood of crossing that graduation stage as well.

 

Dream Big, Live Colorfully, Lead Boldly,

Jessica