Much Needed

Yesterday was amazing. I invested in myself by attending the Innovative Principals Conference that was put together by the Region Ten Education Service Center. This turned out to be a great way to invest in myself and my professional development. It was awesome to be surrounded by people that have the same love for leading that I do.

This school year has been stressful in a few ways. Our school community has undergone quite a few changes. For starters, we added around two hundred new students to our building. In addition to the new students, we added twenty new staff members. We are also implementing three new curriculums. The cherry on top is a new Principal that started a month after the start of the school year. I needed a break!

Much to my surprise, we were blessed to be able to learn from Principal Kafele. I was not sure if he was going to do the keynote virtually or in person. I was happy to learn that he was in the building. This was already worth taking the day off and the travel time to get there.

If you don’t know who Principal Kafele is and you are a leader in education, you need to check out his work. I have been following him for eight years. His work in regards to leadership in education is unmatched. His wisdom and knowledge of educational leadership is the reason I am where I am today.

After the keynote I attended three other sessions on various topics. Being able to get validation on things that I am currently doing and adding new tools was awesome. I had several conversations with others that are doing the hard work of leading schools. I also had the pleasure of learning from one my colleagues from the district I currently serve in.

The Innovative Principals Conference was a great experience. I am thankful to Region Ten for their work in organizing this event. I am looking forward to the long weekend to rest and rejuvenate. Work is being pushed aside temporarily to enjoy some fun with my wife at a concert and the state fair. Until next time, take care.