My Points of Pride

About this time each year, I take some time to reflect; my view is around the school year since my career focuses on K-12 education.  I struggled with the title of this blog including the term "pride". I remember sitting in church, listening to preachers toss it around like it was the fastest way to a hot place.  ​I wanted to focus on the word pride since the term identifies the amount of transition happening both personally and professionally in my life.  ​Webster’s Dictionary lists two definitions for the word pride — and two that could not be more opposing. The first is “inordinate self-esteem/ conceit.” The second? “A reasonable or justifiable self-respect.”

It turns out that pride does come in two characteristics. One can give you the impulse and courage to become the best variant of yourself. This type of authentic pride comes from hard work and is the variant we will use in this post.  Next, I will share some areas I am proud of this year, starting with my kids.

Personally

If you were to ask me 22 years ago that I would be married with three children, I would say you are crazy.  Today, I am happily married nearly 22 years, and this month my middle child graduates high school. Our family environment doesn't come without some hard work on everyone's part.  My daughters have worked through the transition of moving to a new state and took on a tremendous amount of life change.  

Last week, Aiyana completed the Lincoln Half Marathon with me even after going to prom the night before. In a couple of weeks, she will graduate from Omaha Central High School. She has worked so hard at what she wants to become. She persevered through a back injury that could have been devastating to her volleyball contributions.  She worked through them and won the Varsity Female Player of the Season her junior year. After she graduates, she will continue at Metro Community College with a full scholarship.  One thing I have learned with my kids, what we get right and what we get wrong does not ultimately determine who our children become. Our children’s futures aren’t wholly dependent on our ability to perfectly orchestrate their lives.  

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Professionally

I have now been in education for 19 years.  Time flies. If I were to highlight the person that has influenced me most over the years, one person stands out. 

​Leadership plays a vital role in education. This year will be my 13th year working for Mark Evans.  Mark brings so much to the table as far as leadership.  He understands that a leader develops the talent around himself.  One thing that defines Mark is his desire to "do what's best for students"; this is his brand, and if you spend even five minutes with him, you will hear this phrase.  Mark is approachable and able to hold a conversation with any staff member without intimidating them.  He has transformed any district he has led. By far, no one has taught me more about leadership than him.  What we have done in Omaha Public Schools is a direct reflection of the leadership he has brought.  You will still see his fingerprint in the district from the initiatives and leadership he has brought to Omaha Public Schools.  Here are some points of pride district wide we have seen through his leadership lens. These highlight items since the 2016-17 school year and do not reflect many of our accomplishments as a district during the 2017-18 school year. 

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Center for Digtial Education Large District Summit:
​Sharing our story

What I have learned in the last 4 years has opened my eyes to what large school districts face as they integrate technology. Through some hard work, our entire IMS team has created a transformation story that last week we were able to share with other districts at a national level. Technology leaders from the nation’s largest K-12 school districts were invited to spend two days together discussing hot topics that challenge us. Omaha Public Schools was fortunate to host this event last week. These leaders collaborated  together to participate in round table conversations around relevant edtech and IT topics.
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​Here are the slides we shared to large districts as far east as NYC,  west as LA, south as Calcasieu Parish and as far north as Chicago.  

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Transitions 

Transitions are everywhere you look. Today, voters will cast their ballot to pass the second phase of our bond initiative at nearly $410 million.  That will allow us to build the much needed facilities that will help our students have a great learning environment.  As we transition into new district leadership with Dr. Cheryl Logan, we will find more things to be proud of.  All of this hard work is for the future of Omaha, and it looks promising.