I am the Variable!

I am currently reading What Great Principals Do Differently by Todd Whitaker. I highly recommmend this book to all principals, assistant principals, or aspiring principals! As I was reading on the airplane coming from beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I had a true revelation! Chapter 4 of the book is entitled, "Who is the Variable?" Of course Whitaker acknowledges that the variable for success in the classroom is the teacher, but he goes on to say that "effective principals viewed themselves as responsible for all aspects of their school". He goes on to state that "they believed they were responsible for making their school the best it could be". What a tremendous responsibility for school leaders! As human beings it comes naturally to place the blame on someone else. However, Whitaker challenges all stakeholders in the school setting to take a look in the mirror and ask ourselves, "Who is the variable?" in order to make significant gains in student achievement and to provide a positive, nurturing climate for not only our students, but everyone who works in and enters the building. Not only should we all have high expectations for our students, but we should have even higher expectations for ourselves. My hope for this upcoming school year is that my staff and I continue to look in the mirror and tell ourselves that we are the variable and we want nothing but the best for our students!