As my son and I enter week two of the school year, I have been reflecting on his last three years at his elementary school. When my son began kindergarten, we met Principal Libby, who had been the principal at the school for over 12 years. From my perspective, Mr. Libby had his school culture established. Everything seemed to run at his pace with his agenda, I am assuming this is how schools typically run. There were a few assemblies throughout the year where parents were invited, parents were sent home the usual notices, and if there was a question or issue, the protocol was to contact your child’s teacher before or after school. All seemed pretty standard to me, nothing out of the ordinary. What I can say is that I didn’t feel fully connected to the school, even though I knew my son’s teachers and met Mr. Libby on a few occasions.
Mr. Libby retired at the end of the 2017 school year, along with several other teachers. I remember getting a letter with names of teachers who would be retiring, and my son was ecstatic when I read out the names, his exact words were, “those teachers are mean and grouchy all the time.” He didn’t feel that way about Mr. Libby, but he stated most of the teachers on that list didn’t seem happy. This was the perspective of a
We met our new Principal, Dr. Guerra, at the beginning of
Through the middle of the school
By the end Dr. Guerra’s school year, I definitely felt a shift in the school culture. Teacher appreciation week was full of thoughtful gestures, it was a big stride from the previous years. There were a few new fundraisers such as a Jog-A-Thon, and my son went on a couple of field trips for the first time.
All of my Instagram posts of my
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I will tell you about my PTA journey in another blog. What I can tell you now, is to support your school’s PTA; they DO A LOT for the students and teachers! I encourage you to learn more about how much your membership dues do for your school, in addition you get discounts at Legoland, Aquarium of the Pacific, and many other places.
I know Dr. Guerra had big shoes to fill, not necessarily because someone had done a better job but because a culture had been established. Change can be difficult, but when our children and families benefit from the changes implemented, everyone should be on board. It doesn’t matter if a principal has been there for one year or ten. If parents come together and ask for innovation and change, the school leaders should support it.
I encourage you to get connected with your