Balanced Perspective Helps Keep It Real

I concur with Dr. Proffit that humor is unbelievably important in not only brightening the lives of the children and staff around you, but also helps you keep your sanity. I work in a school that serves students with a variety of mental, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs. If I tried to make sense of some of the crazy crap these kids do everyday, I would be crazier than society views them to be. I think the one thing that gets me out of sorts the quickest is letting the pendulum swing too far towards work and not enough towards play. This doesn't mean that I need to have a swing set in my office or a cotton candy maker served by a monkey in a red top hat, but it does mean that I need to be comfortable being true to what and who I am. I love working with kids but I also relish moments alone on my front porch looking at the lake, hanging out with my wife (and now son!!!), fishing, playing basketball, and reading anything I can get my hands on. My legacy will not be solely formed by how well I did my job. Often legacies are formed by the way we make people feel. One of the most touching cards I have ever received from a student came recently. He was congratulating me on the birth of my son, and on the back flap he had written, "You are a good person". I can't imagine any finer epitaph to be placed on my career's tombstone than the one written to me by a student whose parents don't want him. Keeping balance is almost a Transcendental concept. Even in the midst of the daily insanity, you can retreat to your mental sanctuary and remember that situations are temporal, legacies are much longer lasting. In closing, I think finding a way to strike a balance between trying to be the best young principal on the planet and the best husband and father is the key to me being able to accomplish both.