September 5, 2014
In Chapters 9, 10, and 11 of The Energy Bus, George learns through Joy the Bus Driver that personal crisis
can often offer opportunities for growth, development, and refining of one’s life
vision and purpose. Joy reminds George of the need to develop a personal
vision, to forge through the crisis, and to visualize the light on the other
side of that crisis. Joy teaches George
about the law of attraction, which states that the more we focus on the goal
the more it becomes our reality. In other words, we think about what we
attract. George learns that life often presents us with our very own Energy Field of Dreams: mentally build
it, focus on it, take action, and success will come. Along those lines, Joy
teaches George that positive energy is the high octane fuel for the ride of
your life!
In reflecting on these lessons from
chapters 9 through 11, I can’t help but think of my own time of personal crisis
that eventually, indirectly, led me to Barnwell! I may not have comprehended
the law of attraction and the energy field of dreams at the time, but those
principles were well at work for me during that era of my life, which I have to
thank for eventually allowing me to serve as your principal.
In January of 2006, I was in the
middle of my 6th year as a social studies teacher at Lawndale High
School, in the Lennox Community of Los Angeles. During this era, in my free
time (remember this was long before marriage and twins for me!) I played
basketball at a local gym and ran on the treadmill at least 5 days per week (I
usually took Sundays off). I remember that I developed a chronic pain on the
side of my right foot that I ignored and never got checked out. The pain lasted
for a few months, before I suffered a devastating foot fracture playing
basketball in January ’06. Turns out I had a small stress fracture for months
that, because I ignored, turned into multiple breaks in multiple locations throughout
my right foot.
This left me on crutches and a hard
cast for the next 10 weeks. I had to learn to manage teaching 5 periods per
day, making and carrying all the copies, grading, moving around the room,
checking for understanding, monitoring student progress, etc. that one would
expect of a teacher, all while maneuvering through student desks and activities on
crutches! Did I mention that I lived on the second floor of my apartment
building, with no elevator?!
Then, finally, after 10 weeks of
struggling through the daily routines of a high school teacher on crutches, I
got my cast off and I was cleared to resume normal physical activities. So of
course, I did. And less than one month later, I broke my same foot again!!! I
had to repeat the same processes and challenges all over again for another 10
weeks! Clearly my foot had not completely healed.
During this period of time when
injury forced me to sit still for the first 6 months of 2006, I began to ponder
where my career might take me, and what next personal challenges I might
visualize for myself to tackle. I first began to envision my own personal Energy Field of Dreams at this time. What
I began to look into was the pursuit of a doctorate in education. I always knew
that I did not want to be an administrator,
but maybe I could further my education just for personal and academic
enrichment?...
My injury forced me to slow down
and visualize the rest of my life and my career, and afforded me opportunities
to explore possibilities that I never took the time to ponder before. That was
a period of great physical difficulty for me that eventually allowed me to come
to the conclusion that I should purse a doctorate in education. Gratefully, I applied
to and was accepted to the University of Southern California’s Doctor of
Education program. I began classes in September 2006.
It was my doctoral pursuits at USC
that exposed me to the many possibilities for continued professional growth that
a career in educational leadership might present. I owe much of the next stages
of my career to my experiences and new understandings that I amassed at USC
during that period. It was during the final stages of my doctoral studies that
I was fortunate enough to become an assistant principal, which eventually led
me to the high honor of serving as Barnwell’s principal. I can safely say, if
I never broke my foot back then, I would not be serving with all of you today.
In closing, I truly appreciated
what George learned about turning personal crisis into renewed opportunity to
refocus and reinvigorate one’s life purpose and focus. I experienced the same
circumstances nearly 9 years ago, and I have those to thank for the privilege
of serving as your principal. It is true what they say about we never know the unexpected
twists and turns life will present, but the true test is how we respond to adversity.
My own career is evidence of that….
If you are interested in reading
more about the themes of turning adversity and challenging circumstances into opportunities
for growth in an educational setting, you might browse the article pasted below
published by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. The article
focuses on principals’ positive responses to adversity, but there are a number
of universally transferable messages for teachers and other leaders within the
article.
-Norman
