Sincerity on Active Duty: A true story of how a principal changed a school
The classroom was stark and cold, and the radiators clanked and whistled to defeat the winter cold that poured in through closed and drafty windows. Gray-green walls, gray worn linoleum floors, and fluorescent lighting echoed the overcast sky, suffused the room, and mirrored the mood of the members of the school change team who gathered for their weekly meeting. They were depleted, not just from the demanding complex work of teaching, but from the additional challenge they shouldered to improve the school despite the naysayers and those who simply hid from anything that smacked of change... or work. Undaunted, the principal led. My first reaction was one of sympathy for the team. I thought: Couldn’t she see how tired they are? She should give them a break. I was wrong. As I watched, my admiration for the principal grew. Her belief in the work and team was unflagging and, as she led, her knowledge, skills, energy, and since...