A mythic place, a place that never really existed except in legend.

Thus the thoughts this beautiful South Carolina morning….

If you’ve read anything prior, you know that I spent the overwhelming majority of my adult life teaching (mostly high school). It added up to 47+ years and it was an incredible run filled, for the most part, with joy and laughter and lessons both taught and learned. Close to 25 of those years were spent at Greenwich High School. Friendships were forged that continue to this very day even though I have been gone from there since 2004. I met my wife, Susan, there (she was there for 37+ years and has even deeper connections as she was raised in that very town and attended GHS herself). If there was an educational setting that could have approached a real life Camelot, GHS was it. To this day it has a pulse and a heartbeat unlike any other place I’ve taught or attended, however, that heartbeat is fading a bit. It is not fading because of the still largely terrific grunts in the trenches, but due to the change in leadership that began in the early 2000’s (thus my decision to leave) and continues sliding down a very deep hole to this very day.

When I began there, we had leaders at every level who trusted the folks they hired, who encouraged the folks they hired, who were really, really interested in their input and allowing them to grow and improve. It really was a team effort on every level. While, of course, there were disagreements, I always had the feeling that someone had my back. The leaders were sharp, eloquent, thoughtful and for the most part gentle. If you screwed up, they did take you to task, but always with reasons and giving you the opportunity to fix it.

I have followed the operations of the distrcit, because it sill holds a very special place in my heart as well as having been the best place to be during the time I was there, but mostly due to Sue still being there until she retired and it’s sad to see what it has become. A myriad of Superintendents, with the current one having zero interest in even giving lip service to input from the team of leaders at the district level. It is a top down dictate without any discussion. The majority of the nominal leaders are either clueless or climbing, in either case the method of “do as you’re told” seems to be at the top of the administrative agenda. The good news and the hopeful news is that there are still some in leadership positions who would easily have fit in back in “the day”, the bad news is they are being overwhelmed and ignored.

Camelot no more…however..this is a great way to close

“Don’t let it be forgot
That once there was a spot
For one brief shining moment that was known
As Camelot.“