My Rockstar and My Mentor...

My Rockstar and My Mentor...5-16-25

I have been around a lot of educators in my 24 years. I have rarely been in the cliques or been invited to outside school socials. On a few occasions, I have been asked to participate, but more often than not, left out. I usually spent my lunches with students catching up work, grading papers, getting lesson plans ready, or working on projects. The part that I missed out on was having connections that were close. Yes, I did have a few people who I thought were close friends, but when I left to become a principal I talked to them a couple of times and then nothing. That's not a lasting friendship.

When I became a principal, there was one teacher in particular who was very skeptical of yet another principal and a newbie at that. She told me that every principal starts out on the bottom of her list. In other words, she was saying they work themselves up as their work and preformance dictates. I get that. I understand. Throughout her lengthy career, she had been through a lot of principals and experienced the good and the bad. I had a lot to learn and made mistakes.

As time grew, I began to look forward to her planning period to sneak away for a few minutes into her room. I never took a lunch. I never took a break until I got to that point where I felt welcome enough to go and sit. I would go to her room, sit at her picnic table under the umbrella in the lawn chair, and talk. Sometimes I would listen to other teachers, but I enjoyed that time to talk to her. She just listened, never judged, and never told me I was making a mistake or messing up. She gave me advice when I asked, but refrained when I didn't. She knows the Lord. She is strong.

I had told people I was a foster and adopted, but would not talk about what had happened. I could tell her bits and pieces because I knew she wouldn't judge. The day I left. I cried. I cried because there would be no more planning periods. There would be no more open picnic tables with quiet work or laughter. I don't have that anymore and I mourn that loss. Before I left they gave me a card and she had written that I made the top of the list. That will be forever treasured. I called her my Rockstar to the State Secretary of Education because I don't think there is anything she cannot do.

Proverbs 27:17 says "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." I am not sure I provided a sharpener for her, but she sharpened me and made me better. She made me stronger. I leaned on her knowledge and her expertise. But more than anything, I leaned on her grace. She was and will always be my mentor and friend. She's is the one in the yellow.