All I Want for Christmas Is...

How would you answer this question as a school leader?

Would it be positive parent partnerships where you're actually working together? Well-behaved students who make good choices without constant redirection? More hours in the day? A staff that genuinely enjoys being together? Nobody calling out sick on Monday morning?

My answer changed depending on the day. Sometimes it changed by the hour.

There were days when all I wanted was for my parents to trust that we were on the same team. Days when I just needed one parent meeting to end with partnership instead of defense mode.

There were days when all I wanted was to make it to 3:00 without covering another classroom because we were short on subs. Again.

There were days when I watched my staff genuinely laughing together at a faculty meeting, celebrating each other's wins, and all I wanted was more of that. More moments where we remembered why we love this work.

I wanted to silence that voice running a constant tally of everything I didn't get done. I wanted five minutes without mentally triaging the next crisis. I wanted to reconnect with that passion that brought me into school leadership in the first place. The belief that I could create a school where every kid and every teacher discovered their purpose.

Looking back now, what I wish I'd given myself was grace. Grace for the meeting, I fumbled. Grace for the email I sent too quickly. Grace for being human while trying to lead humans.

So this Christmas, that's my wish for you too.

Find joy in the journey. Love your people well. Your staff, your students, your parents. They need you showing up, even on the days when your wish list keeps changing. And give yourself lots of Grace.