As we finish our day here in East TN, we officially hit the "12 days and counting" mark. That is twelve days till our first full day of school. As you can imagine, the days leading up to the 2020-2021 school year are much different than any other time in our nation's history. I never would have envisioned myself (or anyone else) sitting in our summer principal retreat, six feet apart, and wearing a mask! Our district leaders have done a great job educating us, supporting us, and providing much needed motivation as we begin to tackle the beast (AKA...the 2020/2021 school year)! The education and support will always be needed on all levels. However, when school starts and COVID-19 rears its ugly head, will the motivation we've received be enough to carry us through? The answer is NO! Motivation is great...but when adversity strikes, motivation fades.
As we navigate through this 2020-2021 school year, we must be fueled by more than motivation. We must be fueled by passion, drive, and grit!
I start every year with a "welcome back" faculty meeting, in which I always try to get everyone motivated and ready to go. Most people probably think its corny, but they are respectful enough to indulge my attempt. That wont be the case this year...it simply wont be enough! We are going to focus Beyond The Motivation. We are going to focus on developing a strong passion for what we do, and why we do it! We are going to focus on finding the drive and grit to push through difficult times.
The fact is this...NO MATTER WHAT THE 2020/2021 SCHOOL YEAR THROWS AT EDUCATORS, WE WILL COME OUT STRONGER AND BETTER EDUCATORS!