By TIM PERAINO, CFD, MSBO Board Member, Director of Facilities, Kent ISD
Every winter I ask myself the same question.
“Why do I live here?”
Typically, this happens at that point in the season when temperatures have dipped below zero, and I am trying to shovel six inches of snow off of my driveway to get to work. I have to remind myself that I have voluntarily chosen to live where I do. I made a conscious, non-influenced decision to live somewhere in which I allow icicles to form on my eyebrows at least once every year. Not surprisingly, it is also common for me at this point to begin to calculate exactly how far south I would have to move to get away from the cold. And then, when the driveway is clear and I am comfortably at work in my office, I glance over the photos on my desk. Many of these were taken during the summer in northern Michigan and show my family on our boat or the kids playing in the lake. I think of how in just a few short months we will be back outside and enjoying this amazing state of ours. Of course, my answer to why I live here is obvious and any thought of living anywhere other than where I do is completely forgotten.
I think many of us have experienced something similar in our careers. Have you ever found yourself staring into the bathroom mirror and pondering, “why am I doing this?” If so, you are not alone. There are times that school business operations are chaotic and unpredictable at best. In fact, those of us that worked through the pandemic may have posed this same question to not only mirrors, but also spouses, pets, laptop computers and random blank walls. In one especially trying day, I actually screamed this at my Amazon Alexa only to have her respond to me, “I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer to that.” (To which, she got unplugged for an hour as a punishment). The point of this is that we all have moments in which we question why we are putting ourselves through such struggles. Of course, no one is forcing us to work in schools. We choose to work here.
In fact, questioning ourselves may be a helpful exercise. The key to all of this, however, is not in the question, but in the answer. Our jobs will have stressful periods. There really is no avoiding this. We are often forced to react to head-scratching legislative initiatives, complex funding formulas, unique school board/community issues and even worldwide pandemics. But the answer to the question of “why” we put up with all of this is not hard to find. The answer sits in our classrooms every day. They show up on our buses, and they eat in our cafeterias. By focusing on students and the incredibly important work each of us does every day to contribute to their education, we can all find our way through the most difficult and stressful times. Please don’t lose sight of how our work is critical to each and every student. And if you need a reminder of this, spend some time in a school building. Meet some students. It is amazing how this experience can help re-center you. It’s really not hard to find your why.
Oh, and one final piece of advice. Learn how to program your Alexa to respond with “You do it for the kids!” whenever you ask her “why am I doing this?” There may be a day that you appreciate the reminder.
Other Articles in this Newsletter
- Congratulations MSBO Awards and Scholarship Recipients
- Group Solutions Workshops: Foster Collaboration
- Meet the Candidates: MSBO 2024 Board of Directors
- MSBO Annual Conference & Exhibit Show Update
- MSBO Update – Robert Dwan
- Sometimes You Just Need to Be Wild – Mary Beth Rogers
- SWMSBO: Connecting Members
- Welcome New Members