The Best Present is to Be Present
By Liz Garden It’s that time of year when there is lots of talk of giving and receiving presents. I actually received an amazing gift at the beginning of the school year. After spending the last seven years as an administrator at one school, I became the principal of a new school in a new district. While it has been hard work getting acclimated and learning the ropes in my new school, it has also been such a gift to be able to experience everything new in my leadership role. Do you want to know what the secret of leadership success is whether you are starting in a new school like me or whether you are simply trying to reinvigorate your leadership in a school that you have been in for a while? Be present. Yes, the best present you can give your students, your staff, your families, is to be present. We can’t lead from our office; we need to be leading in the classrooms, in the hallways, on the playground, at the events. Which is why, on my very first day in my new schoo