Page 63 - EdViewptsSpring2021

moment, I told myself, this was it! My our children each and every day: think educators, what we don’t realize
passion, commitment, and genuine outside the box, get creative, “turn and is, as each year of our professional
love of children, let alone this feeling of talk,” and apply all that we know to lives unfolds, we build ourselves to
accomplishment, would not be robbed make this work. be stronger and stronger in order to
of me because things are just not Thus far, we have embarked on an give our students all we have. That’s
“normal.” I was about to embrace one unbelievable journey! The first half of what makes our field so special and
of the best years of my professional our school year has been challenging, rewarding. We retain the resilience,
career, my first year principalship. I full of emotion, and difficult to say as hard as it may become at times, to
left myself no choice, to enter it with the least. We have tackled school focus on our professional goals, but
a smile, full excitement, and endless closures, virtual snow days, refining more importantly place the focus on
possibilities. schedules, meticulous safety our children.
I walked into the first faculty meeting procedures, attending to the needs of To that end, when professional
with a stomach full of butterflies. I had our own families, and feeling defeated opportunity knocks, answer. There is
a short time to prompt a mindset: the after exhausting all the possible ideas no better time than that very moment
only way our ship would sail in the of making things work. But giving up to prove to yourself what all your
right direction was if we all placed one was never an option. We continue to mentors saw in you that you refused
hand on the wheel. More importantly, undertake the situations we are faced to see in yourself. Our students
I chose to listen. I listened to the with and carry one common theme: deserve our guidance, our support,
struggles, the fears, the anxiety as “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful courage, and vested involvement
we discussed how instruction was destinations, but the journey is what in their educational experiences. If
implemented in the spring, and how counts. The best is yet to come.” we attentively listen and appreciate
we can refine our practices with (Unknown Author) our very own professional journeys,
such a unique school year ahead. As the year 2020 came to a close, I we learn the value of our mistakes,
We discussed our reopening plan of sat in my living room overwhelmed hesitations, and experiences,
providing our students a hybrid and by the words written in holiday cards ultimately creating the champions
full remote instructional platform. from families and staff. As tears rolled of our future. Never be afraid to
That day, we placed all the fear and down my face I realized I found my persevere. Never be afraid to place
angst behind us. We pledged, as a professional home. I found the place faith in your capabilities. Never be
staff, as a team, as a family, to place that I was unknowingly working afraid to utilize your pipelines of
faith within each other. To place all towards for the past 17 years. My support and value the colleagues and
our efforts toward being ingenious, professional path has landed me administrative team that surrounds
and experiment with all technology where I never thought I would find you each day.
features. Basically, no matter what, myself, while my passion and love We possess the greatest gifts to
the will to make this work was going of kids had an agenda of its own. impact, inspire, and mold our future
to far outweigh our fears. The meeting It’s not about the power or being in toward success. I refused to allow my
closed that day with an action plan we authority; it's about being the force fears, let alone a pandemic, interfere
all felt confident in. We agreed on the that reminds educators the reason with my passion, admiration, and love
importance of routined and structured they chose this field. At some point for elementary education. The minute
schedules, not only for our students, in our own educational journeys, our I accepted this role, I packed my own
but for our families, that we would passion for children and the positive “backpack,” and I’ve been embracing
support one another, collaborate, impacts we can make on them was the journey leaving all apprehension
and use communication to its highest what drove our decision to teach, behind me. The road has gotten
degree. Our focus was to ensure that role model, and adore what we do. bumpy, unpromising, and the days
our students, no matter their learning Even if that means to place all of have been tough, but I’ve “packed”
platform, felt as though they were our energy and efforts to confront all I need to seize the journey and
a part of our school, classrooms, the most challenging, uncertain, and anything that lies ahead. There was no
and community. Our focus was to unforeseen circumstances that attempt better time than now!
implement all the strategies we teach to stand in our way. Sometimes, as

About the Author

Christina Scaduto is currently the principal of Jessie F. George School in the Westwood Regional
School District. She served as the shared Elementary Assistant Principal for the Westwood Regional
School District from 2017-2020. Prior to that, Christina taught elementary school, in the Garfield School
District for 13 years in grades 1, 2, 3, and 5. She completed both undergraduate and graduate work at
Felician University. Follow her on Twitter @CISCADUTO

Educational Viewpoints -61- Spring 2021