Out of My League

I fell it is appropriate at this juncture to tell the world about my group at TEPSA this year. And, since this is my blog… that is what I’m going to do!

There are six of us. Two men and four women. It is important for you to know and understand that this group is a very accepting one. They are all professional educators who are no longer in the classroom. They have stepped out and up and are trying to make a bigger difference in the lives of all of our students. They are all exceptional assistant principals. I say they are an accepting group because they have allowed me to hang with them. This is remarkable because I am one of “them”. From time to time I refer to my wife as one of “them” because she is in our district central office. But, that is for a different blog. Let me introduce my set to you:

(The names have been changes to protect the innocent!)

Cinderella, Hairspray, Electric Glide, Lawrence Welk, and Fezzik. They will have to figure out who they are. I would give more specific details… but that would help the casual reader too much.

Here is what I know about my group.

I am getting paid to be at TEPSA so I don’t count. The rest of my group isn’t getting paid. They are off contract already. They are here in
Austin on their own time. They are here on their own time to improve themselves as educators and to improve their schools. In turn this will improve the lives of their students and the lives of people those students come into contact with. I am always proud of what I do. ALWAYS! But, being around these guys these past few days has heightened my awareness of what great things we get to do and the ever daunting task that we are asked to do. They are all fine educators. They are all striving to be better… they are true professionals and I am glad to be on their team!

Today was my first full day of attending the TEPSA conference. My group and I visited several vendors booths before heading off to the breakout sessions. We sat down and discussed what each of us was going to attend. We wanted to cover a wider range of topics by spreading out than we could possibly do individually. At least that was our plan. I think the six of us actually saw three different presentations. Afterward several of the group mentioned that the session they attended was just so so. I thought my choice worked well for me. I learned some things. Was exposed to several new ideas that I think I can implement in my school. Four of us actually made it to the General Session. The other two of the group decided to visit the exhibits. While I believe they took in a wealth of ’stuff’ I don’t believe they took in anything as spectacular as the other four of us. We heard (and saw) Erik Wahl speak about “Discover(ing) Your Untapped Potential”. I initially had reservations about hearing him, mainly because I didn’t like his picture. His picture rubbed me the wrong way. I know… shallow of me… yet his message about creativity moved me. In summary his presentation was about unleashing the potential that our students have and not restricting that inate ability that they possess. We should grow it. I hope that my journey mirrors the belief of Carol Ann Tomlinson when she said, “Plan to be better tomorrow than today, but don’t plan to be finished.”