School Admin group leader prepares membership 'to stand tall, be confident'

One thing about leadership is if it was easy, everyone could do it and that certainly applies to the challenges school district superintendents face this upcoming school year.

There is no real new normal that can truly be discussed as we remain in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The complicated roles of race in America that have never truly been resolved has reared its head in some ugly ways sparked by the killing of George Floyd and other Black citizens that have led to both protest and riots sparking emotions across the nation.

“These are not normal times.” Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA)Executive Director Kevin Brown said in his TASA Blog. “Today, you are dealing with at least two crises that are unprecedented in our lifetimes. COVID-19 is a public health, education, human and economic crisis. And you are in the center of it. During the upcoming year, you will have to make countless decisions, and each of them will be fraught with controversy and peril. There will literally be no way to appease everyone.”

Brown pointed out that school leaders can expect these crises to land on their respective doorsteps in his blog. Decisions made will be scrutinized by the community. And that is part of leadership. He drew upon the examples of Abraham Lincoln who held the nation together and Martin Luther King Jr. who led a movement against pervasive injustice. There was Rosa Parks and Winston Churchill. And through each one it was learned that through crisis there is an opportunity to provide leadership.

Many schools are on a different schedule in Texas as some opt to learn put off in-person learning longer than others. It goes to show how different this year will be in Texas education and how important it will be to roll with the punches and be resilient.

“This year is going to be a mess,” Brown said in his blog. “You will be damned if you do and damned if you don’t in every decision you make. But this is the time for you to stand tall, be confident, believe in yourself, and make the best decisions you can to serve your students, staff and community.”