My transition was no different; however, I think my learning curve is a little smaller since I was already familiar with much about our school. In these first few weeks many have shown me great mercy as most of the questions asked of me are replied with more questions rather than answers....and then sometimes a sigh....AND if it is really bad (embarassingly) a roll of the eyes (not intended toward anyone, just the situation!). I imagine this will be an ongoing thing for the next calendar year. I am thanking everyone in advance for their ongoing patience as I continue to figure things out.
Case in point.....two days before school started I had three people ask my about the school blessing on the first day. I had seen pictures of it on the school website, but never knew when it took place. So, I quickly had a conversation with Fr. Kevin and got everything lined out. We find the student papers, I email instructions, and we are underway. As I approach Fr. Kevin he says, "Oh, no bullhorn?" I say, "What bullhorn?" Yes, I have a sense that this type of conversation will happen more often than not for the next 10 months. My faculty and staff have been a wealth of help and information, but with new leadership, new office staff, and a new food program there are bound to be challenges.
My spirits have lifted significantly in the past week. Only a mere 10 days ago I was feeling incompetent and dumb since I had so few answers to the many, many, MANY questions. I gathered with my faculty and staff on Monday morning to share a message of TRUST in the Lord's plan for all of us. He has brought all of us together to share in His plan for our school, and we all have a special talent to share. I realized that I had to return to the reason why God brought me to Holy Family. Shortly thereafter, I was nurtured by the response from the rest of the staff.
Over our three daystogether we had a lot of fun comparing our generational values and looking at the characteristics of the generation of children we are currently teaching. I will share more about that with parents in future posts. I handed laptops out to all of the teachers. (I would love to take credit for getting them, but they were all waiting in the faculty room when I arrived in July.) The teachers shared what they learned at their summer workshops about the Common Core Standards. (You'll hear more about these as the year goes on.) We joined with the TMP faculty and staff for a morning retreat, liturgy, and lunch together to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. Finally, after the first day of school the faculty and staff gathered for lunch and then another presentation on the Common Core Standards. As you can see, it was a VERY full week, but it was a FULFILLING week.
Mr. Dumler, Mrs. Collins, and Mr. Sauer worked on their powerpoint presentation on the common core standards. Mr. Sauer wowed us with his own version of Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line" with "Common Core Standards in Time."
Mrs. Sechtem was "it" and was challenged to "Walk by Faith, Not by Sight" as her team members gave her mixed instructions. She was a great sport!
I'm not gonna lie...there were moments...there were moments when I wondered:
"What I have gotten myself into? You are in over your head!"
"How in the world are you going to be responsible for so many children and families?"
"Am I ever going to have more answers than questions?"
Yes, they were all self-doubting, but after my time with the faculty and staff, the hugs and well-wishes from my TMP colleagues, and all the wonderfully kind words from parents at the Back to School Bash I am reminded that God brought me here and has equipped me with all that I need to serve the faculty, staff, and families of Holy Family Elementary. Thank you for reminding me to have faith in God's plan for our schools. When we abandon ourselves to HIS plan for us, we can't go wrong. It doesn't mean it will always be easy, but He is constant, and if I rely on Him I can't lose.
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