This National Principals Month, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for your strength and stamina in these tumultuous and uncertain times. From the pandemic to politics, there’s no doubt that being a principal has become increasingly challenging these past few years.

But the truth is nothing can match our resolve and we will never give up on our commitment to do right by our students—especially when we band together.

Together, we are stronger. Together, we hold the power to transform our entire education system through courageous leadership. Together, as school leaders from every corner of this country—and beyond—we can reimagine and rebuild a system that ensures every student’s needs are met and provides access and opportunity to achieve their full potential.

As we celebrate you and the principalship this month, there are three things I encourage you to do:

  1. Listen to your kids. Really hear and value what your students are telling you. Engage them. Create a student advisory council or leverage an existing group—such as your student council or honor society—that you meet with regularly. Listening to kids makes us stronger school leaders.
  2. Find the power in your voice. Elevate and amplify your voice by getting involved in your state association and NASSP. Our kids cannot wait for someone else to address the challenges we have—they’re counting on us. When we work together, we’re unstoppable.
  3. Take care of yourself. You can’t be the best that you need to be for students and families if you’re not the best for yourself. Practice self-care and extend that to your learning community by creating a culture of gratitude with your students and staff.

I’m grateful to serve an association that supports your exceptional work. Although our society often takes educators for granted, there’s a tremendous amount of effort and resources that go into building, and running, excellent schools for our kids. NASSP doesn’t take you for granted—in fact, we’re here for you and will always have your back.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to children. I assure you that we at NASSP will never waver in our commitment to you.

About the Author

Ronn Nozoe is the CEO of NASSP. Follow him on Twitter (@RonnNozoe).

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