This is my first post in quite a looonnngggg time. I truly haven’t visited this blog in a while….it’s been here, waiting, but I haven’t felt like I had the time to write. I have visited this site several times over the last few weeks because I’ve been toying with the idea of publishing my final Engaged Learning project, The Morning Blend, here. I made that post…..and now, it’s time to reflect a little on my project, community, and survival. My life, both professionally and personally, changed dramatically on Jan. 25th, 2013 with a head on motor vehicle collison….I was driving.
Thursday Jan. 24th, 2013: I had completed my interview earlier in the day for Region 5 Principal of the Year….quite the long shot in my mind (iwonthough). I am busy shuffling around the school and end up in one of my Alg. I classrooms. Mrs. Cuthbertson is busy teaching and of course I’m interrupting. I leave by writing #lovemrscuth on the board….of course in permanent ink! I had no clue that I wouldn’t be able to write on that board again until May.
Friday Jan. 25th: 7:15am. Crash. Smoke. Screaming. pain. “Maam. Maam. Can you hear me?” …………………….. “yes, my name is Leigh Jones, I’m the principal at McMichael High School. Please call them and let them know I’ll be late to work.” That is my last memory until I was on the stretcher and jarred as they put me on the ambulance to the hospital. The accident was fatal for the other driver. She passed out at the wheel, crossed the center line, and hit me head on…we were both going about 50mph.
Saturday Jan. 26th: I don’t remember much, but I do remember so many family and friends in the room….even my Superintendent Dr. Shotwell had come to see me.
Sunday Jan. 27th: I’m moved from ICU to a room where I’ll spend the next 15 days and have 2 more surgeries to repair my injuries. Thankfully, as my mom says, my mind and mouth work just fine! ; )
Over the next two months I learn so much about perseverance, love, community, and survival. The personal implications of my situation are obvious. Yes, it was incredibly hard…and a long ass journey. However, what ensued within my school community was breathtaking and inspiring. I had spent the better part of my first year and a half trying to build some sort of collaborative culture. I wanted a bigger leadership team (30 rather than 7), I wanted teachers on interview committees, I wanted my assistant principals to know everything I knew….for us to make decisions together; I wanted our staff to know each other, not by department, but by personality. I wanted our students to have a significant voice in leadership decisions; I wanted parents to be involved and informed in their child’s education. I wanted engaged conflict….meaning, I didn’t want everyone to agree with me and to think about what ‘we’ do, what do ‘we’ want. With my accident, all that work I had done, all those emails, all those conversations, all the data, all the collaboration, would stop. After all, I had to be overwhelming people, right? By this time, I feel most certain my assistant principals had stopped reading my emails…and most of my teachers!! ; )
But it didn’t stop. Everyone really WAS paying attention!! My assistant principals stepped up and ran the school, our teachers along with our leadership team continued with monitoring our SIP, making sure they were involved in their PLCs…..the students were amazing too. They really tried to make good decisions while I was out….and emailed me often. Our school became a community in that moment. I am positive the community was already there, but they began to work like a well-oiled machine. They didn’t need me……they needed each other. For me, that was the greatest shot of inspiration that I needed. Survival became my choice because our community had chosen survival in a really tough situation. I wanted to get back for them. I wanted to be strong for them. THEY were my inspiration. And because of them….I am Prayer Illustrated.
My Time Arranging Seats on the Bus......... 