The New Principals

As we near the end of our class-taking, Praxis-preparing, interviewing year, I sometimes feel that I’m losing my grip on reality. There are days when I’m sorely tempted to pull the covers up over my head and say “leave me be, I changed my mind, I just want stay under here in my safe place”. I wonder what I was thinking, and think about all the money I’ve spent when I’m sure I’ll never find a job in this field. As someone who has habitually strayed out of her comfort zone only as far as it felt warm to the touch, this bold move of jumping into the fire of change has been, to say the least, quite daunting.

Other days I wake up and think “Man, I have got this handled!” A well-spoken interview answer, or a teacher coming to me for approval for something, or being left in charge. Of course I can do this, if only someone will give me the chance. Will they or won’t they? That is the question. What if they don’t hire me anywhere? Does that mean that I failed? I tend to be a person who relates to quotes, and some that spring to mind are:

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky

Do or do not. There is no try. -Yoda

I've been thinking a lot lately about taking chances and how it's really just about overcoming your fears, because the truth is, every time you take a big risk in your life, no matter how it ends up, you're always glad you took it. -livelove-quotes

My original plan was to apply to my district, and if I didn’t get anything, then I would stay where I am for a few more years and then retire; better educated, but still in the same stagnant place. As this year began, I changed mind and applied to several districts. So far I have come up dry, but if it doesn’t happen this year, I’m sure I will have the drive to continue trying until something works out. If I tell my students and coworkers that I admire persistence and risk-taking, but am not willing to apply those characteristics to myself, then I probably don’t deserve a position anyway.