Happy New Year! Every August, I celebrate Educators’ New Year—the start of the school year. It’s a time for new beginnings with school supplies and classroom materials taking the place of champagne and streamers toasting as we reconnect with colleagues and welcome newcomers into our community. It’s a time of great excitement and possibilities. Educator’s New Year is a celebration we desperately need this year after two especially challenging years. It can help us remember why we do “the work” that we do.
As I begin my new role as associate director, I am committed to serving you—our members who are doing “the work” of Episcopal schools. After more than three decades in education, including serving as an administrator these past two years, I know how important it is to provide meaningful support. What we do is inspiring; it is also challenging, especially as we live into our Episcopal identity. Sometimes, we need words of encouragement, a person to listen to our concerns, or just a little levity. Those calls usually begin with “You just can’t make this stuff up!” Other times, we need resources, information, and examples. And, many times, we need both.
I am humbled to serve in this role. I have spent my career in schools and have been on the receiving end of the support of NAES and colleagues in our Episcopal school community. I have reached out during times of need and been reassured that I am not alone and have been given resources to help me. I have also had the opportunity to learn from colleagues and walk alongside others during difficult times. As I make this transition from serving in schools to supporting those in schools, I will appreciate hearing from you. Please never hesitate to let me know how I can be helpful or to provide feedback to me, so NAES and I can best support you.
My hope for this new beginning is that you reach out to me, actively engage in the NAES online community, and join us in San Antonio for the Biennial Conference. Your colleagues across the country have a wealth of wisdom, knowledge, and perspective. Being able to connect with colleagues through NAES is one of the many ways to find meaningful support.
Please know how appreciative we are to those of you serving in our schools. We are grateful for
- Teachers and other educators in our schools including counselors, DEIJ practitioners, coaches, and nurses, whose creativity, tireless efforts to meet the needs of their students, lifelong commitment to learning, and ensuring that all their students are known, valued, and loved;
- Administrative and facilities staff members whose daily efforts, often behind the scenes, ensure that our schools run smoothly;
- Chaplains whose guidance supports our communities as we live into our Episcopal identity;
- Administrators at all levels and in all roles in our schools whose leadership provides an inspiring vision for their communities’ shared work even during the most challenging times and who create an environment where the worth and dignity of all are respected;
- School board members whose dedication to the long-term vision of our schools is demonstrated in their volunteer leadership;
- Rectors and Vestry whose understanding of the value of Episcopal education ensures the success of parish schools; and,
- Our friends of Episcopal schools whose continued commitment to the work of NAES and our schools allows us to live into our missions—to serve those who serve Episcopal schools.
Happy New Year!
Monica M. Gillespie, Ph.D. is associate director of NAES.