As January comes to an end, we may be nearing a jumpstart for 2022.  I suspect this blog will not be read past next week so I will pass on the COVID context.  We certainly have been stress tested to the brink as the Omicron variant spiked cases daily but we’re weathering the pandemic and the schoolhouse has remained open.  It will continue to remain open for that matter…

This past Tuesday we held our monthly school board meeting, and one segment involved public comment where members of the community get an opportunity to address our board of trustees.  One gentleman suggested we “inhale God, exhale fear,” another gentleman sported a shirt that read “triggered” and shared his concerns about the political indoctrination of students by public education, and a woman shared her concerns that parents must now “rescue the children and save the children from our public education system.”  It was a high energy forum for sure and you can catch all the highlights here.  We were also reminded by one speaker “that no evil deed would go unseen” and we need to acknowledge our “evil schemes.”  The city mayor spoke on this night and retold the expression that our world is divided into wise people and fools – he suggested we please “carry on” and reminded the community that we have “great teachers, great staff, great board members…”  And I recalled during all of this the message my own son delivered during the previous board meeting as part of a student learning showcase.  He shared with board members some of the principles about culture they have been studying at his school, including his personal favorite “attitude of gratitude” which is a reminder to seek the positives from every experience.  This message helped put things in perspective even during such unusual remarks.

I mentioned some time ago I was back in school, and I will be finishing this latest journey in a few weeks.  My next step in theory is to lead a school district and I got some stern words from my lead professor – he said “if you are tired of people telling you that you would make a great superintendent, it is indeed time to become a superintendent.”  I had another professor also reach out to me because he wanted to make some introductions.  This week is the big statewide convention for TX K-12 administrators and aspiring administrators – kind of a mix of bona fides, up and comings, and self-promoters.  It is the latter group that has always deterred me from attending.  However, given the wisdom of a recent fortune cookie, the simplest answer is to act and I decided to make a course correction and attend the event for the first time. I got up this morning, worked for a bit, and then got on the road headed to Austin. 

Sometimes an emphatic no is the last step you have to take before jumping in with two feet.

~Frank Reagan

It rained most of the way down and a winter advisory is in the forecast for the return trip.  Or as The Weather Channel bluntly announced:  “Winter Storm Landon is set to spread a big mess of snow, sleet and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies to the Plains, Midwest and parts of the Northeast as February begins.”  I think I’m being tested on my attitude of gratitude.  And, I imagine some of the other 750K statewide K-12 staff might be feeling the same way. 🙂 

As the title may suggest, I’m still recovering from my latest adventure.  In rather calculated impulsivity (if there is such), I booked a flight last Thursday for a Saturday flight to Orlando, FL, and then drove home.  There was a severe wind advisory at liftoff in DFW and for the record, liftoff made an impression on all those aboard, including myself.  Touchdown in sunny Orlando increased the temperature about 40 degrees and decreased wind shear to windless.  That trip took about 2.5 hours; the comeback trip tipped north of 13 hours of continuous driving on a Sunday after making small inroads the night before.

In reflection, I still blame THIS ARTICLE for making me stir crazy – maybe next year I’ll look back and say thank you.  Maybe in time I’ll come to realize perfect timing is the way of unicorns and the end of rainbows.  My impromptu trip was largely driven by an attempt to prepare for and better control a future I largely cannot.  While I was driving back, I realized I’m pretty good at these long solo treks and that I don’t want to get too good.  School folks as a subset of everything else are battling current conditions like everyone else.  This latest round of pandemic is pushing new buttons and new boundaries.  Both my boys have missed school this month due to testing positive and their ability to not fall behind in their studies is largely dependent on their own resilience.  In conversations with our superintendent as recently as today his goal is to keep schools open unless we are completely unable, and I completely agree.  He’s even gone so far as to campaign connections matter this year in efforts to unify and reunite.  While self-isolation is a recommended pandemic response, it’s not too different from social isolation.  And I suspect there is a laundry list of unintended consequences that have occurred over the last two years.   

So on my drive back I spent a lot of time reflecting.  I didn’t have satellite radio set up, so I was using the FM seek button often as I crossed 5 states.  I decided along the way I was going to buy Adele’s latest CD, which arrived today by the way.  When I teased my wife that I would maybe let her borrow it she laughed it off while pointing out we have Apple Music.  When I stopped at an Auto Zone just outside of Jackson, MS, for new windshield wipers the kid that helped me was chatty and knowledgeable and since it was just me and him in the entire store, I slowed down the conversation and asked him about his next steps.  He shared with me he graduated from high school last May but had to delay college plans for now given his situation.  Based on my research, he’s certainly not alone in that decision.  But he was hopeful and helpful and I was encouraged by our chance encounter.  I met another character in Rayville, LA, at a gas station/casino/bait shop when I had to fill up.  My wife would suggest these are my peeps and any place that offers live bait alongside burritos and beef franks must be legit.  There’s also a pizza place in Rayville I took my son to once on our frequent escapades, probably in large part due to fond memories I was attempting to share – Johnny’s Pizza House – you have to try the SWEEP THE SWAMP.  Lifted straight from the menu description:  “Hankering for some Cajun spice? It’s got that too.  How about a taste of crab or shrimp?  You read our minds!  All of that and some jalapeños, onions, and delicious mozzarella cheese and you’ve got yourself a crowd favorite.”  My final stop along the way was a do-it-yourself carwash in MacTown before arriving home.

2,200 Miles, Roundtrip, One Weekend, One Flight, One Car (and one lifetime to make a difference).  I’ve never been more proud of the work public educators do – my random travels to all parts continue to remind me of their impact.