On Saturday, there was a Twitter chat focused on advocacy and the above quote was shared. An educational leader from DC shared what he thought that quote meant... His new word..."respond"-ability really stuck with me, especially after spending a week in the nation's capital with over 400 other principals discussing some key topics in education and advocating for more support and funding. Greg's statement that those of us in positions to advocate for change must do so is one that I take to heart. I could take the attitude that I am just one person who can't do much more than lead the school that I was hired to lead. But I feel like I have "respond"-ability. I feel like I have to use my voice and speak up for our school and our students and our educators, of course. But I also feel that I have to speak up for all schools and all students and all educators. Last week, I was sitting next to Nashville principals when they learned of the most recent school shooting tragedy that happened to one of their colleagues, and I watched as many of them left the room to go record messages for their own school communities, reassuring them that everything was going to be ok. I heard a principal from Florida speak up about what they are dealing with across their state as politics have become completely embedded in the schools there. I listened to a principal from New York share a story of a young student whose mental health is causing him to be constantly dysregulated, and I nodded my head in agreement because I have those same stories to share. A brave principal from Minnesota stood up and spoke to the 400 principals in the room; she shared that as one of the only school leaders of color in her area, she receives awful, racist emails on a regular basis. Hearing those stories, our "respond"-ability couldn't be more clear. I was also filled with hope seeing principals from every state prepare and plan to meet with their legislators. I was filled with hope listening to the Deputy of Education, Cindy Marten, speak. She is a former teacher, former principal, former superintendent so she gets it. She has been in our shoes, just like the Secretary of Education. And as I listened to stories from other states, I was grateful that I am an educator in MA. So far, MA has been able to mostly keep politics out of schools, has not given in to book banning, has supported diversity, equity and inclusion work. That is not the case in many states all across the country. When I met with our MA legislators, I thanked them for supporting education. But I also shared real stories, stories from our school and other schools across the state. They listened and took notes and thanked us for helping them see beyond the data and the proposed legislation, for showing them the real life stories of students and educators. I also invited them to come to our schools. To come see first hand what is happening in terms of wellness and student and staff mental health. To come see the schools that are struggling to fully staff their buildings. I hope they will come. Being in DC at the Capital was an amazing experience, but I know that I need to keep advocating back here in MA. 400 principals was definitely a loud, united voice last week, but it's not enough. I encourage all of us to continue to advocate, share stories, speak up. We can connect with legislators on social media. Send them emails. Invite them to our schools. We can not be silent. Our kids and our educators need us to speak up. We have a "respond"-ability! If you want to read more about the legislative agenda and what we discussed with legislators, you can check it out here. On the plane I was able to start and finish a book called A Soft Place to Land. A quick read that would be good for 4th graders and up I think, about a girl who deals with her her family having to move into an apartment because of money issues and her worrying about if her parents are going to get a divorce. She meets a great group of friends that help her. While I was at the Capital, I went into the gift shop and of course I bought a book! It's called House Mouse, Senate Mouse and I am hoping to come in and read it to some classes soon.
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