Embarking on a New School Year: A Parent and Educator's Perspective

Welcome to a journey of unprecedented emotions as we embark on a fresh school year. This one holds a special place in my heart, as it is my daughter's first step into the educational sphere. With 19 years of experience as an educator, I'm no stranger to yearly beginnings. This time, however, the added dimension of parenthood bestows a whole new perspective. Join me as I navigate the ups and downs of this unique year, feeling the nerves, the excitement, and the reflective moments, connecting myself, my staff, and our students to the core of our mission - shaping the future of our children and humanity.

We also delve into the profound role of education and community, a realm that holds the power to mold the future of mankind. Listen in as I ponder over our responsibility as educators and community members, to ensure equal opportunities for all. This episode serves as an urgent call to action for all educators and parents. Let's be that spark that propels someone in the right direction. As we stand on the threshold of a new school year, let's embrace our mission to foster a nurturing environment for our children and make a difference in the world we pass on to them.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
When they see me.
They know that every day, whenI'm breathing, it's for us to go
farther.
You know, every time I speak, Iwant the truth to come out.
You know I'm saying every timeI speak I want to shiver.
You know I don't want them tobe like.
They know what I'm gonna say,cuz it's polite.
They know what I'm gonna sayand even if I get in trouble,
you know I'm saying that ain'tthat what we're supposed to do?
It's.
I'm not saying I'm gonna rulethe world or I'm gonna change

(00:21):
the world, but I guarantee thatI will spark the brain that will
change the world.
And that's our job.
It's to spark somebody elsewatching us.
We might not be the ones, butlet's not be selfish.
And because we're not gonnachange the world, let's not talk
about how we should change it.
I don't know how to change it,but I know, if I keep talking
about how dirty it is out here,somebody gonna clean it up.

(00:41):
And now he's been promoted hisjob principal.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Good morning, good morning.
Good morning.
This is Uche in Chokun Voices.
My voice is super respite thismorning.
It is about 5 39 am and IShould be at the gym right now,
but, however, my phone wasn'tcharged.

(01:16):
I didn't plug it in last night,so what I did is um, it's
plugged in right now, so I havemaybe about 10 15 minutes before
I have enough of a charge to goto the gym.
So I decided this morning to doa quick video and Probably
should have Wormed up my voice alittle bit, but I'm pretty sure
you can hear me, so I'm gonnago ahead and continue with my

(01:38):
voice the way it is.
So what I want to talk to youabout this morning is it's
really reflection of yesterdayYesterday was the first day of
my staff being back on campusand in preparation for the new
school year starts tomorrow, sotoday is the sixth.
The fifth was my staff.

(01:59):
I'll come in back.
We have some professionaldevelopment people set up, send
up their classrooms, and todayis day two of that and and um,
tomorrow my students come backto school and I'm excited.
You know this love always a lotof nervous energy around
preparations and classrooms andall those things.

(02:20):
It was the first thing I looklike and it doesn't.
It doesn't really pass untilmaybe a day or two, about two or
three days into the school yearand then you're like, okay, the
machine is started, you knowkids are coming to school,
they're gonna class, they have alunch, they do do it all, all
these needs, do do a school day.
Then we have to miss all and wejust get into the, into the

(02:43):
movement of the school year.
But this year is a little bitdifferent than any other year,
and I'll tell you why.
All these years of first yearsof school has been about other
people's children.
Today, the sixth, is actuallymy daughter's first year of
school, in kindergarten and, andI have to say, I am filled with

(03:04):
mixed emotions because, um, youknow, it's just weird knowing
that now she's going throughthese same processes that I've
been preparing other childrenfor, or preparing spaces for
other children for many yearsnow, 19 years to be exact.
It's been 19 years of firstyears of schools for me, and

(03:31):
this is the one year that isdifferent from any other year.
So I'm excited, I'm nervous, Iam in a very reflective mode.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
I'm asking myself whether or not.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
I've done enough in preparation for her to start
school.
I'm asking myself whether ornot the school has done enough
in preparation for my daughterto start school.
But nonetheless to have thiswhole entire process.
I think about all the parentsthat I've met, everyone from

(04:13):
pre-K all the way through 12thgrade.
I've been fortunate enough tohave worked at elementary school
as an assistant principal, soI've sat with parents who have
had their concerns, their fears,their tripodations, and now I'm
in that seat.
I get it.
I really do get it.
But, however, the one thingthat I'm definitely taking away

(04:37):
from this year is that this isalso the first year that I did
things a little bit differently.
I did this a lot differently Ina sense that in the past
there's been a cookie cuttermethod to open the school year.
For me it's pretty based on theway I was trained and that has
to do with, you know, the staffcomes in, we go to the staff

(05:01):
handbook, we go through all theminutias and the steps, the
processes, all these things ofthe school year, at least for
the beginning of the school year, and I have to tell you there's
never really been a heart in it.
It's been very just, methodical.
And yesterday I got my staffinto the.

(05:28):
We have a little music roomthat's kind of like.
You know, steve starts seatingand I sat on the little mini
stage in the music room and Isat there with my assistant
principal and I started talking.
I started talking about thehistory of my coming to the
school, the history of theschool, the things that have

(05:51):
been negative and then positiveabout the school, the mission
division, where we're going,what it is that we are intending
to do this year, and Iinterwoven my journey as a

(06:13):
student to being where I amright now as a school leader.
I shared a piece of myself butalso opened my staff to the
truth of where they are and whatthe work needs to be.
And I saw people in sittingthere who shed tears and I was

(06:36):
like, wow, what's going on here?
As I'm speaking, I'm askingmyself what's happening here.
What am I seeing?
And what I was seeing is theheart of what we do.
This is a highly emotionalspace.
Preparing a path for the futureof our children is a highly

(06:57):
emotional space because it's ussaying the work that we do is
about humanity and humanity'sfuture.
And community that I leave myschool in is a community that
for many years has been ignoredor marginalized, much like the

(07:18):
community I grew up in inCalifornia.
But the great thing about it isto be in a space where you know
what you're doing is for thegreater good and to be able to
sit there and really have aconversation coming to, come in
of minds, coming of hearts, andto be able to say is there any

(07:41):
questions?
And not a single question, nota single deviation from the
mission, the charge.
I think that was such apowerful thing.
I didn't stop there.
In the evening I had the lastparent orientation.
We had several orientations inthe summertime, early in the

(08:01):
summer, so this was the last onefor those who were not able to
make it to any of these otherorientations and to sit there
and have parents, a packed house.
I've never had that many peoplecome to just to any event at
the school since I've been thereIn a graduation we had a packed
house, but that's different,that's graduation, but just the

(08:23):
general.
Just hey, come here about whatwe're doing this year at the
school we had a filled room.
I decided to do what I did inthe morning tell the story, be
honest about where the schoolhas been, where the school is
going, give people permission toshare their concerns.

(08:43):
It's funny because the schoolthat I lead has struggled.
I'm a turnaround principal andthis is the work that I'm doing.
It's moving in the rightdirection.
So to have parents honestly saythat they're concerned because
of the history of the school, tohave kids say, yeah, in the
past is what we've dealt with atthe school.
It's very important.

(09:06):
It was also important for me totell them that we must honor
that past history, that pastexperience.
But, however, we must also,without a doubt, turn our faces
to the future and fall forward.
And to have that conversationand then again see tears.

(09:30):
There were parents there whowere shedding tears.
I said to myself again what'shappening?
We're getting to the heart ofwhat the work is, what the need
is.
What is it that this community,these parents, are asking for?
And the reality is the samething.
I'm asking for my child to bein a space of heart,

(09:54):
understanding that educating mydaughter is really preparing her
for a future, and that futureis the future of humanity.
I am grateful for theopportunity to be a school
leader.
I am grateful for theopportunity to work with the
people that I work with.
I'm grateful for being blessedto open this school year at the

(10:23):
same time as my daughterstarting her journey in schools,
because this holds me even muchmore accountable to the
families that I serve, becauseso and else is also serving my
family, hopefully mirroring whatI'm trying to do with what I'm

(10:45):
doing in my school community forevery single child, for every
single parent, for every singlemember of that community.
Yeah, this is going to be agreat day.
All right, folks, I hope thatmy phone is better charged.
Going to go to the gym, goingto get a little workout, come

(11:06):
back, shower, get dressed anddrop off my daughter at the
first day of school.
With that being said, have anamazing day and be that spark,
be that thing to get somebodythinking and move in the right
direction.
Be well.