You Know, We Really Like You This Year

This past week, I was sitting in a classroom at night working on a paper for my doctoral program so I could be on hand while the school's Haunted House was taking place. During that work, a learner walked in and asked to talk. We chatted about a few things and at the end, she gave me one of the greatest compliments that I have had all year. She said, "You know Ms. Batik, we really like you this year." I of course laughed because it is a pretty blunt statement, but also because it is a funny and true one. The learner felt the need to explain immediately, but to me the explanation wasn't necessary. I knew exactly what she was talking about.

It can be really difficult to follow a leader who was well-loved by her school community. This is true for anything: a band program, an athletics program, a theater program, and yes- even a school. The hardest group to win over in a situation like that are the upperclass-persons because they are the ones who have been around the longest under the previous leadership. They don't mean anything by it, they were just used to things being a certain way and now they are not. I've seen it happen countless times in my 15 year career as an educator and I imagine that the same happens in many other industries. I've often told new coaches and sponsors that if they can make it through the first senior class, they'll be ok. And barring something major, that is basically true.

So when this learner told me that the students really liked me this year, it meant that I had survived the first senior class. In truth, I think that senior class ended up coming around in the end (and if by some miracle any of you are reading this right now, you know who you are and I have loved so much watching you spread your wings this year without us). It also meant though that I'm succeeding in forging my own path as the school leader and that for the most part, that direction is being accepted. I'm not perfect, and the work is definitely in progress, but there's hope and quite a lot of room for love.

By coincidence, I was sitting in class this weekend and one of my classmates mentioned how difficult it is navigating things in the first year of a leadership change at her new campus. I was so glad that I got to tell this story and share that while the first year is difficult, it d
oes get better. And if you are really lucky, they'll really like you.

Comments