As I write this, I am in the final days of my time as an Assistant Principal at Central High School, a position I have held the last 13 years. It also means that I am finishing my 22nd year as an educator and my 18th in the St. Joseph School District. While I am excited about moving to my new role as Principal at Savannah (MO) High School, as I am packing up things in my office, I’ve spent some time reflecting about my time at CHS and this move.

I have experienced a lot of growth during the last 13 years and I had to the good fortune to work for and with some great leaders, including Bart Albright (my 1st principal), Marlie Williams, Neal Hook, Elizabeth Chase, Cindy Crouse, Kim Hill, and Terri Godfrey,  among many others. The lessons I’ve learned from them are numerous. They have helped me become the educator I am today and have shaped my leadership style. I thank them all for the impact they have had on my journey as an educator.

Ask anyone who has worked as an Assistant Principal, they will tell you that 13 years is a long time to hold that title.  I would agree.  I had hair when I started, I promise.  One thing about the role of Assistant Principal, it is never a boring job.  The days generally have a lot of variety, and that has also added to my my development.  As much of a challenge as this role has been, after 13 years I have become fairly comfortable.  I will admit that turmoil in my district (outside of my building) has made this a stressful and challenging position in different ways the last few years, but from a day to day standpoint, I have reached the point that I am comfortable with my daily challenges and have the experiences to draw on to adequately handle them, for the most part. Being comfortable is really nice. It’s consistent, it’s reliable, it’s assuring.  But it doesn’t provide one element that I think we all need: growth.

When my son, Alex, was younger, I can vividly remember talking to him after a swim meet.  Alex was an outstanding swimmer and worked hard to perform at a high level.  After one race, I suggested that he “needed to really push” at the end.  His response was, “Dad, I felt like I was going to throw up.” I said, “That’s when you know you are growing and improving, that feeling of discomfort.” We were discussing an athletic analogy, but that same concept is true for us in all aspects of life.  When we feel discomfort, that is growth.  Whether it be when someone is exercising, or when learning a new skill or concept for the first time (think riding a bicycle), that feeling of discomfort is the signal to our brain that we are trying something new and unknown to us, it’s the way in which we know that we are achieving something new and different. Discomfort is the essence of growth.

I’ve thought a lot about this concept lately. While I’ve loved my time at CHS, as I noted earlier, I’ve reached a time where I’ve become comfortable.  While being comfortable has its positives, it doesn’t lead to much growth.  I am excited about my new role and the growth I expect to have as a leader and as a person during the next year. I’m excited to be “uncomfortable”, because it will be that signal that I am growing. I can’t wait to meet a whole new group of staff, community members, and students as we “get uncomfortable” and grow together next year. Let’s get “uncomfortable”, Savannah!