Monday Mush -- Got Stress?

I hope everyone had a great and relaxing week!  I had a great mentor once tell me that

“Your stress is your stress.”

That quote alone has been a motto I have tried to live by.  It was told to me when I was accepting my first job as an assistant principal.  He told me that above quote, and he followed it with the idea that no one really cares everything that you have to do.  You can’t impress people with how busy you are, what all you can balance, or what stresses are on your plate.   He encouraged me to be a person that tries to serve others without them having to feel like they are a distraction.   He said that we should be able to walk down the hall to a crisis on the other end of the building, and no one should know something is wrong.  He said that people that look like their job is easy are doing something right.

One of my pet peeves is asking how people are and they always respond “busy.”  We are all busy, so it is impossible to get any sympathy for that.  We try so hard to make sure others know that we have a lot to do.  We try to communicate our importance to others by allowing them to see our stress.  I think there is a better way.

As we move into testing, we don’t want our kids to stress…we want them to relax…we want them to trust that we have this under control.  In wartime situations, they have determined that soldiers respond quickly and without fear to leaders that are confident.  They trust cool and collected people better.  It keeps their heart rate down…it keeps their brains engaged and not flooding with emotions…it keeps them rational.  We can learn from this as instructional leaders.  We can be cool and collected for our students…it keeps their heart rate down…it keeps their brains engaged, and it keeps them rational.

I appreciate what you guys do.  I know you are stressed, but you do a tremendous job of overcoming that to be a leader at this school.  Allow yourself the confidence of being ok with answering “I am doing well” to the question of “how are you” or being real to say “I am making it, and I am really having a time trying to get….”

You are an amazing team.  Thank you for being awesome!

Happy Monday!