PFAD Blog features blogs written by participants in the most recent Principal for a Day event. Guest blogger Miranda Bond, a manager for the Patient Assistance Office, shares her thoughts from this year’s event.
Having heard about Principal for a Day before, but regretfully missing the deadline to apply in previous years, when I read the post about Dallas ISD’s Principal for a Day Program 2015, I risked blindness while squinting to complete the application on my cell phone. I would not miss out again this year. As a Dallas transplant, when I moved here from Oklahoma nine years ago, I was not familiar with the area high schools, save for the ones college friends had attended – Townview and Booker T. Washington. Aside from that, I knew very little.
In completing my application I listed Dealey as my top choice of schools in which I hoped to serve during Principal for a Day. As luck would have it, I was assigned to George Bannerman Dealey Montessori and International Academy. I arrived with a smile on the morning of Oct. 13. The principal, Beverly Lusk, and her staff were wonderful hosts and invited me to participate in greeting students at “drop off.” They then provided a tour of the classroom gardens, showcased with pride walls of student art, and allowed me observe students in classrooms. The principal and staff provided a wonderful narrative about Montessori education and the curriculum structure at Dealey.
And then came….lunch. With more excitement than one might expect for “lunch duty,” we headed to the cafeteria. I relished the opportunity to walk between rows of tables adorned with rogue pretzels, flattened Capri Sun pouches, Lunchables, and tray after tray of the meal du jour – pizza, corn, an additional fruit or veggie, and milk d’chocolat.
Friendly students engaged me in tales of being “the middle child,” a history of family pets and excited announcements of “My mom works at the same place as you,” and “my sister was there for a field trip. Do you know her?” Another student so sweetly asked, “Is there anything you have seen today that has impressed you?” And most certainly there had been. The students at Dealey are smart. Above that, they are engaging. They are thoughtful in their responses and engaged in their learning. As Principal Lusk and I walked the halls, students’ eyes remained locked on their work, yet when asked, they readily presented their work in-progress, detailing both the “what” and “why” of their carefully crafted projects.
Everyone at Dealey takes pride.
Far too often we wait until something impacts us directly before we choose to give it the attention it deserves.
