Asking each teacher or staff member working in Newport News Public Schools why they want to make a difference with our students yields as many different answers as we have individuals working here.
I got a small window into this world when I asked three school principals to participate in illustrating what some like to call “my why.” We were holding a large staff leadership meeting at a pivotal point in the school year and needed a pick-me-up.
It was February and we had been navigating around snowy weather ever since winter break.
Spring is always demanding because as the weather starts to heat up, so does our budget-making process, testing schedule and push toward
the end of the school year and graduation. There is a lot going on and our teachers and staff have been grinding nonstop since August to meet multiple demands on their time and talents each day.
So at this particular meeting, one principal from each level of elementary, middle and high school talked about what motivates them to work in education. Each of the three described one particular student they helped persevere through challenges to make significant breakthroughs in various aspects of academics, behavior and self-esteem.
These leaders also shared about themselves, with one saying that as a young person she felt “invisible” and never wants any of her students to feel that way.
“I see you, you matter and I’m here to help you be successful,” she said, as heads nodded up and down all around the room.
Another talked about the importance of remaining calm and level-headed regardless of what’s going on around us.
These were personal stories, very different from our frequent presentations on testing data, policy or financial numbers. They resonated with me and with everyone who heard them.
I asked each person there to take the exercise back to their own schools and departments, to ask a few of their teachers and staff members to talk about their “why” in a meeting to generate thoughts and discussions.
It’s important that we remember why we’re here, that students are what brought each of us into the school system and students are what can keep us effective and strong each day. I can connect my own personal reasons to those of everybody around me.
By the time we get to graduations in June, a mosaic of teachers and staff members have imprinted their reason for being here on a student daily since preschool or kindergarten. This collectively helps form preparation for a productive future as they graduate college, career and citizen-ready.
Knowing our individual and collective purposes makes us a strong guiding force. That provides the underpinning for a future generation of community leaders.
I encourage all of our teachers and staff, as well as every member of our local community, to continue to reflect on and talk about their “why.” Its impact on our students is immeasurable.
