Progress is Ugly

Progress is Ugly



The campus where I serve as principal is a very old campus.  In fact, it is the oldest facility in our district.  We regularly have challenges with our plumbing that cause certain bathrooms to be closed for repair more often that anyone would like.  This past week, our maintenance crew have been working to lay all new pipes for this bathroom.  While I have been watching the crew work on the sewage line by the 5th grade hall, I had the thought: They have to tear a lot up to make this better. We all know the years that those poor 5th grade bathrooms have had problems. One of the district maintenance workers told me the pipe was literally disintegrating in pieces from age, tree roots, and dirt. To think of finally having that plumbing in working condition is a dream come true. But to get there, it takes major equipment, a strong crew, and they have to tear the ground up to make it better.  It made me think about when I decide to clean out a closet or drawer in my house. On the way to getting organized, the space I’m working in looks like a bomb went off. It somehow has to get messier to eventually become organized and neat. I have literally been able to put this theory in almost any example. Just think – PLASTIC SURGERY!
Anyway, it made me think about the work we do. In order for us to grow as a school, to keep moving forward, to stay current, and to avoid stagnating, it requires PROGRESS. Progress in all we do: our instruction, our assessment, our curriculum, our management, our school-wide goals, our initiatives, our discipline, our motivation, etc…. And here is the key, sometimes this progress might get a little
“ugly.” So maybe you are in the middle of some “ugly” moments. This I know for sure, if you haven’t had an “ugly” moment in this job yet; just wait. But what if we started thinking of these moments as leading us to progress and be thankful for this time. Sometimes, the best things come from “ugly!”  

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