We had a half day of school that day, so as soon as the students departed, the staff got together one last time for lunch. I spoke about my family’s plans, cried a bit, and ended the day with a challenge.
We’d been a staff of risk takers. We were innovators. We mainstreamed special needs students before if became the norm, stopped pulling students out for special programs and started pulling special teachers in. We took great pride in programs we developed. We literally tore down walls so teachers could team teach to improve student achievement. Addison Elementary was special because we worked together to make it so.
During my final comments, I asked them to continue to be innovators. Dare to do things differently. Continue to take risks, and should they fail, don’t hesitate to be different again. That’s how we operated the prior fifteen years, and I expected our successes to continue.
When I had the opportunity to bring new staff on board, I asked my staff for input. I knew that if they supported the newbees, we’d all be better because of it. We sought out people with varying skills. I wasn’t interested in having a cookie cutter staff. I wanted teachers, who above all else, loved kids. While everyone majored and minored in a content area, I sought teachers who focused on students rather than content. You can’t get to the content if you can’t get to the student. We were teaching children, not subjects.
I made a couple of poor selections during my tenue but I helped them to improve, and if they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, I let them go. There were one or two during my time but the vast majority were dedicated to their students and their craft.
I didn’t have it at the time, but a couple of years after I left Addison, my sister, Sharron, gave me a framed poster that remains in my office today. It speaks to the principles I strived to follow.
