"WHY"

I'm a huge fan of Striv and Taylor Siebert. He's a great small-town, entrepreneur success story. One of the neatest things Striv does, and they do many awesome things, is a podcast series on high school teachers/coaches called "Why I Coach." These are well-done as they allow high school coaches the opportunity to explain why they do what they do. They're really cool. Look for them at @strivsports if you haven't seen/heard any. Danyel and Glen of YHS have been featured already this fall.

It got me to thinking about my "why." What do I enjoy about being a superintendent? Why do I come to work every day? Why do I fight through the seemingly endless battles?

It's real simple for me....our students. Our kids. Period. All day long. Every day. Kids. I'm a country music fan but I think Metallica has a song titled, "Nothing Else Matters" and that's how I look at students. They're my "why." Case closed. End of story. Shut the book.

I love visiting our classrooms and seeing all of the important things our students and teachers are working on. It's so humbling to visit lower elementary classrooms and watch students as they learn new skills. This year’s kindergarten class will retire in/around 2077. They are learning to read, write, critically think, problem-solve, and work with others over the next few years. They will take these skills they're learning in little 'ol York, Nebraska all across the state, nation, and globe. As professional educators, we get to be a part of that. Wow! That's a "why" for sure!

I love seeing kids mature from 6th graders, when they are so excited just to get to middle school, to 8th graders that can't wait to get to high school. I love the independence and confidence that our students gain in these "middle years." It is awesome to see the development our students make from 9th-12th grade. Today's high schoolers do so much more than they did when I graduated in 1990. Today's high schoolers are super talented and masters at multi-tasking and time management. In my opinion, today's kids are just flat out better and more well-rounded than they've ever been in many, many instances.

It is amazing to visit our classrooms and see what our students are capable of. They're learning math and science concepts in 7th grade that I learned in 10th grade. They're putting together presentations and projects that look like they could come from a professional agency. We have students guest writing columns for the York News-Times. We have kids helping area businesses design websites and logos. We have amazing young people that I am lucky to be around!

Our students give me energy. I feed off their enthusiasm and goals. I truly enjoy watching them grow and develop. I loved watching our volleyball girls play their tails off on Monday night as they defeated Columbus after losing to them earlier in the season. I can't wait to go watch our Mock Trial kids compete in Lincoln on November 9th. I'm stoked for this year's One-Act Play and plan to see it multiple times. You bet your last dollar I will be cheering loudly on Friday night (in my lucky shorts and polo) as the YHS football team competes in the quarter-finals. I'm excited about our choir and band concerts in December. I can't wait until speech season. There are always so many things to look forward to!

Yes, as a superintendent, there is lots of stress, drama, problems, issues, and disasters. Yes, you get burned out from time to time. Yes, you feel like giving up sometimes. Yes, you have those dark days and sleepless nights where you wonder what the heck you've gotten yourself into. Yes, there are times you think about a career change. Yes, you sometimes lose perspective.

However, you have to do your best to come back to your "why." When your "why" is kids, it makes it easier to deal with all of the "clutter." Many of you know my affinity for the quote from Pat Riley that says "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." Well, when your "main thing" is kids, you can put up with all the other things that come your way.

I'm thankful to be in a servant leadership role where I get to help others make our organization the best it can be for our kids. York Public Schools is all about "finding a way" to get things done for our students. Every student. Every day. Find a way. That's our culture. That's who we are. That's what we do. That's our "why."