Shaking Our Core Values

As principals we are accustomed to being in the news. We have all done some outlandish news worthy events to get 100% PTA membership (airplane jumps, shaved heads, kissed a few pigs). We have stood and poised on shovels ready to break ground, gave a Cheshire grin as we accepted a big check, held up Fully Accredited Flags with glee and relief. I don’t want to mislead anyone into believing that all of our press has been positive, we have had Norovirus outbreaks, a fire in a portable, bad water, bus accidents and the occasional drunk teacher. Embarrassing and sometimes tragic events have made their way to the media outlets, it is life as a principal, we get that. I think we can all agree, this time was different, this time was personal, this time our profession was under attack.We all know that this event that happened at Rosemont, could have easily have happened at Parkway or probably anywhere in VB Schools. We all have had that child and those moments. A year ago I had a child break a picture frame in my office take a piece of glass and threaten me with it. My security person and I physically interacted with the child to keep everyone safe, I have no regrets on how we handled that situation. We all have a story, once you have been doing this long enough, you have more than one. These interactions are not new, however, the public response to them is.

It is hard to process all that is happening in our world today, or at least it is difficult to absorb and make sense of the information we are receiving at the speed we are receiving it. The Black Lives Matter movement, the political climate, the daily sexual harassment revelations, all contribute to an overwhelming sense that authority figures abuse their power. In our country right now we are drawing lines and identifying good guys from the bad guys.

The problem is what happened to Cari Hall rocked our core value “Student Centered Decision Making- Choose actions that above all else, benefit and support student learning, growth and safety. We ask ourselves: "How am I putting student interests and needs first when making decisions? "These words are not just on the VBschools website in order to check the box, values done, check! Every elementary principal I know has this belief in their heart and engrained into their brains. This belief is the essence of being a principal.

Our core may have been shaken, it is hard to see our respected colleague continue to be subjected to a variety of injustices. However, know this, we know our values remain strong and firmly on the side of the child. The VB elementary principals are now and will forever be on the good guy team.