I had the good fortune recently to attend a conference for elementary school heads from all over the country. During one of the sessions we were asked to think about what was most important to us in our work. Although this is a perfectly straightforward question, my head started to spin just in imagining the range of potential responses: maintaining stable enrollment in difficult economic times, managing limited resources to their fullest advantage, attracting talented students and faculty, or keeping multiple constituencies focused on a common mission. These are all worthy endeavors, but none quite meeting the “what is most important” standard that had been posed to us by Rob Evans, our keynote speaker. Rob is Executive Director of the Human Relations Service in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

This simple question helped to focus my attention in a profound way.  I might flatter myself in imagining that I think about important issues all the time, but it turns out that this was exactly the question I didn’t realize I needed to be thinking about when I signed up last summer to attend the conference.  Happily, as soon as I accepted the challenge of fully examining my own core beliefs, I had little trouble in identifying what was especially important to me: encouraging others to believe that together we are capable of doing great things.

If I or other school heads didn’t genuinely believe this, I’m not sure how long I or they could survive the demands of the job.  We all recognize that there are always problems that can’t be solved, opposing points of view that can’t be reconciled, personalities that can’t or won’t get along, and upsetting circumstances that can’t be foreseen.  If one truly imagined that a community of people were powerless against such challenges, our work would no doubt feel overwhelming.  But simply by imagining that a community of people can make a difference in the lives of children, suddenly the whole proposition feels meaningful and compelling.

The list that follows is intended simply to trace the outline of what I consider the everyday greatness that takes place with dizzying frequency in schools such as CHS.  I invite readers of the blog to add additional comments and suggestions:

• a child volunteers to help a classmate who is struggling with an assignment
• another child leaves a group of established friends to join a classmate who is all alone
• a caregiver reaches out to a child’s teacher with a willingness to assist with homework
• a parent steps forward to take on an essential, if unglamorous, volunteer responsibility
• balancing creativity and logistics, a group of parents launch a new program that becomes an instant tradition
• noticing that a normally vivacious child is suddenly withdrawn, a teacher creates a safe space for the child to talk
• already deep into overtime, a custodian comes to work early in order to help prepare for an important student assembly
• in addition to exhaustive duties and responsibilities in other areas, an administrator pours heart and soul into a new project
• never satisfied to rest on his or her past successes, another teacher notices an irresistible opportunity for dynamic curricular innovation
• at a time of particular need, a community member organizes food and transportation assistance for the family of another community member
• without losing focus on day-to-day matters, another administrator reaches out and makes connections with colleagues at sister organizations
• accruing hour upon hour in a volunteer capacity, a trustee committee chair develops an extraordinary vision for a high-impact but long-neglected possibility
• quietly and without fanfare, an alumnus from a previous generation chooses to write a institution-affirming check in support of his or her elementary school

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