Juggling the Job

Have you ever veered off the road accidentally? Maybe you were driving late at night and you were tired when suddenly you were awoken by the loud vibrating sound of your car tires moving over the rumble strips built into the asphalt. Maybe something distracted you, a passenger, a favorite song on the radio, an animal darting out into the road, but whatever it is, most of the time our first reaction as a driver is to quickly get back in between the lines. It is a natural instinct. We want to return to safety and keep things moving forward.

As a school leader, you are the driver of the school. You plan the route and you steer the car. It is also your responsibility to get all your passengers to their destination safely. Most of the time, principals are able to do just that, no matter the circumstance or conditions. However, every once in a while, they may need some help. On the road, sometimes that help comes in the form of road signs, maps, and for safety purposes, even rumble strips and guardrails.

Fortunately, most of the time we are able to correct our mistake and are slide back on the road and think little of what happened. However, other times, the rumble strips startle us and we panic and overreact. In those cases, a sudden change of direction often causes much worse results, possibly including a devastating crash.

A good leader, just like a good driver, makes adjustments to ensure the desired course is maintained. Inexperience or an unintentional overreaction can often cause much more damage than the original miscue. I guarantee you things will go wrong this year and overcorrecting won't help.

As a driver of your school, it is important that you pay attention and appreciate warning signs and guardrails. One moment things can be going great. You are rolling along with the cruise control on and the radio blasting when suddenly out of nowhere, danger appears. Thank goodness for rumble strips and guardrails. If you stop and consider their purpose for a moment, you may realize just how thankful we should be and what we can learn from them.

1. They protect us. The sudden noise is a warning to pay closer attention and ease back between the lines. No harm done.

2. They provide a safety zone. In most cases, the safety zone between the lines of the road and a guard rail is designed to allow us to self correct before running into real danger.

3. Guardrails minimize damage. If you are in a situation where you hit a guardrail, yes, your car may receive some damage but, the guardrail also keeps you from driving into far more danger, like rolling off a cliff or worse.

What are the guardrails at your school that keep things moving forward and protect students and staff? Consider your own, or your campus "GUARDRAILS" through the perspective of Juggling the Job:

• Instructional Leader - How can you determine if the teachers are pushing students from all demographics to achieve at the highest levels? Are our expectations for student achievement high enough? Do we have a process for a student that is struggling? Does everyone know how that process works and is it effective?
• Servant Leader - What support systems do you have in place that allow teachers and students to try new and innovative things with out fear of "running off the road"? Are mistakes "okay" on your campus?
  
• Learning Leader - Seek out a handful of students on your campus this week (5 or 6?) and ask them what their dreams are for the school year and what obstacles may be holding them back? How can you be a guardrail for their dreams?
• Communicator (Storyteller) - The safety of our students and staff is important. If a student or staff member is struggling either personally or professionally, what processes do you have in place to get them help? Do they know how to access this assistance?
• Celebrator & Reflector - As a builder of guardrails, it is important to celebrate when they work. As you begin the year, is their a story or person that needs to be celebrated because a guardrail on your campus helped them succeed? Celebrate the story with others as appropriate.

One of my favorite follows on social media these days is Ken Williams. He is a great author and speaker, mostly because he has lived the work as a successful principal. His message is almost always straightforward and to the point.

In his latest book, Ruthless Equity, he shares a powerful message about school culture and the power of personal reflection to manifest what we want our schools to become. The book comes with thoughtful questions throughout which causes the reader to pause and self-reflect on their own power and abilities. The format alone provides, what I think, would be an excellent campus level book study for any school.

What I appreciate about Ruthless Equity is that it provides concrete examples and questions to consider about your own beliefs, your practices, and guides a discussion about access to high-quality education for all students. In an education world full of buzz words like "Collective Efficacy", this book is full of ideas on how to live those words through action.

It is a firm and blunt wake up call that this work is hard, but both possible and necessary.

Inspirational read!

I have published two books, Inside the Principal's Office (2021) and Juggling the Job (2025). Both were written for school leaders, aspiring administrators, and those who supervise them. You can purchase either one of them by clicking the appropriate link below. Thank you for your support.

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