Expressing Gratitude

Last week I had the privilege of listening to one of our seniors, Alejandra Gil, talk about her experience as an immigrant from Colombia. Alejandra's senior speech focused on the sacrifices of her parents, especially her father, in order to give her the opportunity for a better life. Overwhelmed by her feelings of gratitude, she broke down in tears a few times but courageously finished delivering the speech. The Rivers community responded with a rare standing ovation.

Alejandra's speech poignantly reminded me of the importance of gratitude in our lives. When I first became a head of school in Hawaii, I thought little about gratitude. I took for granted that teachers and administrators would do their jobs. I saw the value of their work as a means to an end – getting our students to the finish line of graduation. I was often so focused, I didn't adequately express my gratitude.

How shortsighted!

Ultimately, the expression of gratitude is our path to connecting with others and an affirmation that it's easier to get through this thing called life together than alone. In the school business, gratitude is critical because it nourishes the spirit of teachers, reminding them of why they got into this business in the first place – to make a positive difference in the lives of others. To express appreciation for their extraordinary efforts is to acknowledge the value of their calling and the purpose of their lives.

But a wonderful byproduct of expressing gratitude is entirely selfish. At the end of the day I am happier being a grateful person than an ungrateful person. I sometimes need to be reminded of this. Thank you to Alejandra for doing so!

Leading an Independent School

Last month, Independent School, the quarterly magazine of the National Association of Independent Schools, published an article I co-wrote with a retired head of school about strategic thinking in schools. Cynthia and I loved working on the article two summers ago as we each reflected on our own experiences as leaders of independent schools. As the article points out, many heads sadly tend to become problem-solvers instead of thinkers and visionaries. The job certainly lends itself to falling into this trap. But too often the result is that no one is thinking deeply about what the school is and what the school can be in the future. Strategic thinking, supposedly what schools are paying heads to do, takes a back seat to solving problems with the head becoming the problem-solver-in-chief. 
 
Good strategic planning requires research, study, and deep thinking. Unfortunately, heads often substitute their own biases and values for the hard work of thinking strategically. As a result, schools unnecessarily limit their potential. 


Over the coming 24 months Rivers will begin its own strategic planning process. It will do so, however, only after we have completed our self-study for accreditation next year and an analysis of the intensely competitive independent school market in the Boston area. In short, we will look inward to see how we can do a better job of living our mission and look outward to determine if those improvements are important to prospective families. Both perspectives matter. Gazing inward provides the grist to inspire our educators; focusing on the external grounds our vision in the reality of the market place. Great strategic planning marries the two perspectives.