This was several years ago. I've since moved homes, once, and jobs, twice. It feels like a lifetime ago.
Adam took time. He took time away from his life, his family, his job to make time for me. Adam didn't know me. He didn't have to connect with me. He didn't have to personally invest his time in me. But he did. That makes a person feel good. It does a lot for a person's self-confidence.
When Adam reached-out to me, it expedited my journey as a connected educator. And while I don't have any quantifiable evidence, I am certain that my contentedness has enhanced who I've become as an educator. I will be forever grateful for him.
I'm not alone. Adam didn't just do this for/with me. This is what he does. It's who he is. It's a Fish Philosophy principle to Make Their Day, Adam knows how to Make Their Day.It's the norm for him to reach-out and connect with many of his virtual friends.
So many of us, principals, leave the classroom because we think that our influence on kids will increase with our reach as school administrators. You want to talk about influence and reach. Adam was a classroom teacher, he was a school principal, he currently works at the district level, he writes, he speaks. His reach, his impact is about as far and wide as it gets.
This past weekend, I finally had the opportunity to meet and hang-out with someone (Adam; I was also fortunate enough to meet and hang-out with his friend, Jonathan Eagan (not pictured)) who has shaped so much of who I've become as an educator.
We live in an ultra connected world where anything is possible. How are you leveraging that to your advantage? What are you modeling for your students, for your children? Are you connecting with others in-order to enhance your work as an educator? Or are you going beyond a professional relationship, are you connecting to form relationships that resemble true friendships? It's pretty amazing. Thanks, Adam.
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