"People only see what they are prepared to see." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Life is full of twists and turns as well as ups and downs. In my opinion, it is a never-ending test that determines the trajectory of our career paths. It is not about passing or failing, but rather taking what we have learned to improve our position in life, whether that be professional or personal. Never did I once think that my professional life would have evolved as it has. I was fortunate to become an administrator at the relative young age of 29. Three years later I became the Principal of New Milford High School. It was in this position that I really began to learn about effective leadership.
My journey to become an administrator almost didn’t come to pass. As a teacher, I was only afforded the opportunity to work with a limited number of students who I had the pleasure of teaching. To increase my potential impact on more students I coached three different sports (football, lacrosse, ice hockey) and volunteered to advise the environmental club. I was hungry to have an even greater impact on more kids, which led me to pursue my administrative credentials. Excited and determined to lead change in a broader context, I began to look for administrative openings where I could serve more kids. I could not wait to face and overcome the challenges ahead while working collaboratively with a staff of educators committed to helping students learn.
My excitement quickly turned into despair. Countless cover letters and resumes were sent out with no response. I then worked to improve my cover letter and made sure my resume articulated how highlighted experiences applied to the field of educational administration. What followed was a pleasant surprise. I began to receive numerous interviews and was on top of the world. My confidence grew, but just like a roller coaster ride it soon plummeted. In many cases I didn’t make it out of the first round, as it was determined that I lacked the needed experience. When I eventually became a finalist for positions I often lost out to others that had applicable experience. I sure don’t miss those interviewing days.
I was plagued by the perception that my age and lack of experience would prohibit me from doing the job of administration. Truth be told that many of us have been in this same position. The best way to counter this perception is to keep moving along and constantly seek out our experiences that will prepare us for new positions. If you are a teacher or instructional coach ask your administrator if you can volunteer as an intern. We did this at my former school. In lieu of a non-instructional duty, teachers could request a yearlong administrative internship where they assisted with day-to-day leadership tasks. This was not only a great help to me and my team, but more importantly it gave these teachers relevant experience that they could put on their resume. If you are an aspiring administrator or looking to move up the ladder, find ways to get involved with the budget, observations, evaluations, curriculum development, walk-throughs, professional development, and master scheduling.
Perception always surrounds our work and us. As I have moved on from Principal to my new role as a speaker and author many people assume that I am, or always have been, gifted in these areas. The reality though is that I struggle in both areas. Public speaking has been a bit easier for me than writing. I was always terrified to speak in public prior to social media. My worst day of the school year was graduation when I had to deliver a speech and then correctly pronounce all the names of the graduating class. This posed to be quite the challenge when the parents of your students speak over 40 different languages. To successfully get through this I meticulously planned and wrote the speech weeks prior to graduation. I also met with every single student beforehand to phonetically write out their names.
Over time I became a more confident and polished speaker. Through social media I found my voice. It was naturally easier to speak in public when afforded the opportunity to present on the work of my students and staff. This does not infer that I am now a gifted speaker. Some might think this is the case, but again this is far from the truth. I work harder now than I did as a principal to prepare for diverse audiences who all have different needs and expectations. In reality, it is the preparation beforehand and attempts to share strategies that are not only practical, but also aligned to research that aid in my delivery.
Writing on the other hand is something with which I struggle. As an author of six books, numerous articles, and a blog, I am dogged by a perception that I am a good writer. Quite frankly I am not in my humble opinion. Over the years I have had to deal with some harsh critical reviews. One reviewer of Digital Leadership said the book shouldn’t be published. Each week I labor over creating a blog post. Coming up with a topic is hard, but what’s even harder is putting succinct words to create a post that people want to read and find valuable. I begin writing on Monday with the goal of having a post ready to go by the following Sunday. My mom also edits all of my posts and I try to get feedback from family and friends before the post goes live. She says my writing has really improved, by as my mom I think that is what she is supposed to say to build my confidence.
So why do I continue to write then? Just because I am not as gifted as others doesn’t mean that I don’t have important ideas and thoughts to share. Every time I write it is a constant reminder how I am working to overcome a weakness and turn it into a strength. I battle the perception that some have placed on me, but more importantly I tackle head on the perception that I often develop for myself. Reality is determined by what people see and the actions that we take behind the scenes. I am not sure any of this actually makes sense to you, but in my reality it makes perfect sense to me.
Perception is important for our students and their success. They should never perceive that they are inferior to their peers if they don’t do well on standardized tests or more traditional, one-size-fits-all assessments. Some students just don’t learn this way. We also have to be careful of developing a perception that some students don’t want to learn, as we are unaware of the challenges or demons they are tackling at the moment. All kids (and adults) have greatness hidden inside them. It is the job of a caring educator to help them find and unleash it.
Don’t let perception define you, your work, or your students. Helping others to look through a different lens can lead to a more accurate reality, which benefits all of us.
Life is full of twists and turns as well as ups and downs. In my opinion, it is a never-ending test that determines the trajectory of our career paths. It is not about passing or failing, but rather taking what we have learned to improve our position in life, whether that be professional or personal. Never did I once think that my professional life would have evolved as it has. I was fortunate to become an administrator at the relative young age of 29. Three years later I became the Principal of New Milford High School. It was in this position that I really began to learn about effective leadership.
Image credit: http://jonlieffmd.com/
My journey to become an administrator almost didn’t come to pass. As a teacher, I was only afforded the opportunity to work with a limited number of students who I had the pleasure of teaching. To increase my potential impact on more students I coached three different sports (football, lacrosse, ice hockey) and volunteered to advise the environmental club. I was hungry to have an even greater impact on more kids, which led me to pursue my administrative credentials. Excited and determined to lead change in a broader context, I began to look for administrative openings where I could serve more kids. I could not wait to face and overcome the challenges ahead while working collaboratively with a staff of educators committed to helping students learn.
My excitement quickly turned into despair. Countless cover letters and resumes were sent out with no response. I then worked to improve my cover letter and made sure my resume articulated how highlighted experiences applied to the field of educational administration. What followed was a pleasant surprise. I began to receive numerous interviews and was on top of the world. My confidence grew, but just like a roller coaster ride it soon plummeted. In many cases I didn’t make it out of the first round, as it was determined that I lacked the needed experience. When I eventually became a finalist for positions I often lost out to others that had applicable experience. I sure don’t miss those interviewing days.
I was plagued by the perception that my age and lack of experience would prohibit me from doing the job of administration. Truth be told that many of us have been in this same position. The best way to counter this perception is to keep moving along and constantly seek out our experiences that will prepare us for new positions. If you are a teacher or instructional coach ask your administrator if you can volunteer as an intern. We did this at my former school. In lieu of a non-instructional duty, teachers could request a yearlong administrative internship where they assisted with day-to-day leadership tasks. This was not only a great help to me and my team, but more importantly it gave these teachers relevant experience that they could put on their resume. If you are an aspiring administrator or looking to move up the ladder, find ways to get involved with the budget, observations, evaluations, curriculum development, walk-throughs, professional development, and master scheduling.
Perception always surrounds our work and us. As I have moved on from Principal to my new role as a speaker and author many people assume that I am, or always have been, gifted in these areas. The reality though is that I struggle in both areas. Public speaking has been a bit easier for me than writing. I was always terrified to speak in public prior to social media. My worst day of the school year was graduation when I had to deliver a speech and then correctly pronounce all the names of the graduating class. This posed to be quite the challenge when the parents of your students speak over 40 different languages. To successfully get through this I meticulously planned and wrote the speech weeks prior to graduation. I also met with every single student beforehand to phonetically write out their names.
Over time I became a more confident and polished speaker. Through social media I found my voice. It was naturally easier to speak in public when afforded the opportunity to present on the work of my students and staff. This does not infer that I am now a gifted speaker. Some might think this is the case, but again this is far from the truth. I work harder now than I did as a principal to prepare for diverse audiences who all have different needs and expectations. In reality, it is the preparation beforehand and attempts to share strategies that are not only practical, but also aligned to research that aid in my delivery.
Writing on the other hand is something with which I struggle. As an author of six books, numerous articles, and a blog, I am dogged by a perception that I am a good writer. Quite frankly I am not in my humble opinion. Over the years I have had to deal with some harsh critical reviews. One reviewer of Digital Leadership said the book shouldn’t be published. Each week I labor over creating a blog post. Coming up with a topic is hard, but what’s even harder is putting succinct words to create a post that people want to read and find valuable. I begin writing on Monday with the goal of having a post ready to go by the following Sunday. My mom also edits all of my posts and I try to get feedback from family and friends before the post goes live. She says my writing has really improved, by as my mom I think that is what she is supposed to say to build my confidence.
So why do I continue to write then? Just because I am not as gifted as others doesn’t mean that I don’t have important ideas and thoughts to share. Every time I write it is a constant reminder how I am working to overcome a weakness and turn it into a strength. I battle the perception that some have placed on me, but more importantly I tackle head on the perception that I often develop for myself. Reality is determined by what people see and the actions that we take behind the scenes. I am not sure any of this actually makes sense to you, but in my reality it makes perfect sense to me.
Perception is important for our students and their success. They should never perceive that they are inferior to their peers if they don’t do well on standardized tests or more traditional, one-size-fits-all assessments. Some students just don’t learn this way. We also have to be careful of developing a perception that some students don’t want to learn, as we are unaware of the challenges or demons they are tackling at the moment. All kids (and adults) have greatness hidden inside them. It is the job of a caring educator to help them find and unleash it.
Don’t let perception define you, your work, or your students. Helping others to look through a different lens can lead to a more accurate reality, which benefits all of us.
Nice post.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, perceptions are the last thing to change. A person who starts as a slow runner still thinks of themselves as a slow runner, even after they have become fast. A poor person still thinks of themselves as a poor person, even after they have become rich. A person who was thin keeps think of themselves as thin, etc.
I think that's happening here. You had to work hard to become an admin, a speaker, and a writer. But at a certain point, you don't succeed unless you become good at it. That's why the practice and training is necessary. So while you may perceive yourself as unskilled, the success you've enjoyed argues for the opposite.
That might be the better lesson.
Thanks for providing me with another way to look at this Stephen.
DeleteI often mention in my presentations how "your perception is your reality." This is a good example of how to use that in a positive way. bill@principalsroundtable.com
ReplyDelete