The problem with this type of thinking is that it creates a perpetual sense of underachievement. Imagine spending months/years working on something that ultimately reaches the desired outcome, but then spending even more time evaluating what went wrong in the process leading up to that point. It is mentally and emotionally exhausting and you find yourself not getting to celebrate how far you have come.
In attempt to look at the bright side of things, I thought I would share some numbers that I have experienced during this school closure and put a positive spin on them.
200ish
As of today, I have had 200ish Zoom meetings. The meetings have ranged from Staffulty Meetings, Department Chair Meetings, Leadership Team Meetings, Counselor Meetings, District Meetings, High School Principal Meetings, State Department Meetings, and a whole lot more. What I have learned from these meetings is that nothing can replace in-person, face to face meetings with people where you can engage with one another. I have learned that I really miss being able to see people and talking with them about topics other than school. Fortunately, I work with amazing people who really care about one another. In the process of these meetings, I've been a part of the planning process to lead a school through a global pandemic and I feel we have done a pretty good job considering the number of curve balls that have been thrown our way.
43
During the course of the school closure, I have had 43 different Zoom virtual backgrounds. I like to change things up a little and provide some comic relief to an already difficult situation, so why not try to infuse a little humor to liven the meetings up a little. Below are some of my favorite backgrounds I have used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Believe me, I have A LOT more and I'm kind of ashamed that I have collected so many of them, but hey, this is how I cope with RONA Zoom meetings.
10
As of today, we are in our 10th week of school closure to on-site instruction. During this school closure, I have take the opportunity to do some things that I've struggled to commit to in the past. I've been learning to play guitar, I've been working out on a regular basis, I've been getting a solid 7 hours of sleep each night, and I have been writing a lot. I am hoping that many of these things become a habit when we return to the real world.
3
People in my house, excluding me, that I have enjoyed spending quality time with. We go to our separate quarters in our house during the day to do our work, but we have been enjoying family dinners and watching TV shows and movies together. With one child who is going to be a senior and another who is going to be a freshmen, I have realized that these past few weeks have truly been a blessing.
1
During these past few weeks, I have come to appreciate even more the fact that we have one opportunity to write our own narrative and tell our story on our own terms. We have a choice to make that story an epic or a tragedy and I am choosing the former. #OwnYourEpic doesn't mean that you aren't going to have low points in your story, but it does mean that you are going to be committed to learning and growing from those lows so you can move on.
0
I have had zero regrets. I own the fact that I made some mistakes, but they weren't done intentionally. As a leader, you need to make decisions with the best information you have available at the time. Hindsight is always 20/20 and it's easy to pick apart moves that were made, but to do so isn't going to change anything. Instead, you need to hold your head high and make a conscious effort to move forward. The numbers will never lie, but it is my hope that this particular number will always be zero.
#Onward
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