TL;DR:

• A new school year is a chance to restart, refresh, and refocus.
• To reset this year, work to be better each day. Focus on people first. Build relationships. Find the joy in each day.

Happy New Year!

One of the most incredible things about being in education is the fresh start every year with a new school year. Want to try something new? You have the summer to plan it. Want to change your focus? You have time to hone it. Want to change your focus? You have time to hone it! Feel burned out? You have time to focus on YOU! Every new school year is an opportunity for a restart, a refresh, a refocus. 

As you gear up for a new school year, I wish you joy (even if you have to look for it). I hope you are valued by those you work with and celebrated by those who lead you. Click To Tweet

As I think about my new year, I think about all that I’ve learned as an educator over the past 27 years. Nothing prepared any of us for what we experienced during the pandemic. Nothing has prepared us for the unknowns we will continue to face due to a lingering pandemic, turbulent times, and a severe teacher shortage. What the last few years have prepared us for though, is to be flexible, to be able to pivot, and to be more resilient than we ever believed we could. 

While there are so many leaving education, there are those of us who choose to stay. Why do we choose to stay? We stay for one another and for our students. We stay because we believe in education, in our children, and how we can impact their future. To be part of the change. To be part of the good. So, now that we have decided to stay, how can we make the most of this fresh start?

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A New School Year: My Restart

As you gear up for your new start, refresh, and refocus, what will be at the forefront? What will you value most? Here are a few things on my “restart” list:

• Working to be better today than I was yesterday. Baby steps to become a better human, a better leader. How? By reading, listening, tweeting, and watching with a focus on personal growth. 
• Continuing to keep my focus on “people first” in spite of the many things pushing at me from so many directions. Don’t let the management overplay leadership. Remember: “Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.” – Tom Peters
• Building relationships. People come back because they feel valued. People work hard because they feel seen. Value your people. See your people. 
• Finding the joy in every day. Some days that’s an extreme challenge! Identify one good thing before you pack up and head home for the day. That helps shift the focus from all of the hurdles and challenges that we faced over the course of the day and helps us remember there is good if we look for it.
  

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As you gear up for a new school year, I wish you joy (even if you have to look for it). I hope you are valued by those you work with and celebrated by those who lead you. I share in your commitment to doing what’s best for children, and wish you the very best year ever!

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About Robin Shrum

Dr. Robin Shrum is an elementary school principal with a passion for learning and growing, and doing what is best for kids. She has been in education for 27 years – as a teacher, teacher leader, assistant principal, and now, principal for the past 9 years. She recently completed her Doctoral Degree in Administrative Leadership, and wrote her dissertation on new teacher retention. Her focus as an educator = People first! She believes that leadership is an action, not a title, and that there are opportunities for learning everywhere, every day! Robin has been a member of the VASCD Conference Committee for 8 years, and plays an integral part in the planning of one of Virginia’s best educational conferences. She can be found on Twitter @PrincipalWWR