Lesson #7: Scattered sagebrush

Written by:  Jennifer Appel  
Based on the stories told by:  Paul Dowdy

“The time is ALWAYS right to do what is right.”
​ Martin Luther King Jr.

Some days being the head principal is difficult you have to make decisions that affect a lot of people’s lives.  You have to support students, parents, and the community. You have a challenging job and have to deal with a few things you are not expecting!  This was one of those situations that I am talking about, my dad was very surprised to deal with this one.
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One day as my dad sat in his office he had a patron that lived across the street from the school come in to visit.  He could tell that she was really distressed and needed to talk to him immediately. On this particular day the wind was blowing very hard (we should probably be called the “little windy city”)  We also live in a dessert, so there are leaves and sagebrush that blow all over the playground and into the neighborhood.

So the woman began to yell and vent that sagebrush was gathering in her front entry by her doorway and that it was all his fault and coming from his school.  My dad kindly showed her RESPECT, by letting her explain why all of this was the schools fault and he was to blame.

She continued to explain her reason for believing it was the liability of the school.  She stated that they had open fields of sagebrush just beyond the fence line on the back side of the playground.  The sagebrush was being blown over the fence, which was only 4 feet high. It was then blowing through the playground area onto the street and then into her yard.  So, with her logic on the sequence of events, it was the school that was responsible for her front door being blocked by sagebrush. 

“WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, she barked?”

My dad showed the woman respect by discussing the problem and trying to come up with a solution.  This was a delicate problem, because sagebrush was very common in the area and was everywhere. My dad thought to himself, maybe he could build a huge netted area that would catch the sagebrush or try to redirect the wind to blow away from her house; but, he ultimately knew none of those ideas would work.  He was very nice and told her thank you for stopping by and bringing this to his attention.

So what now…
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Now some leaders mights just forget about this and chalk it up to a crazy person that just wanted someone to clean up her yard.  But an award winning principal takes the time to really care about his community as he/she demonstrates respect and validation to their concerns.  And if at all possible...correct them.  My dad contacted the grounds crew and gave them the concern, they laughed a little at this idea, but respected my father enough to take it seriously.  Eventually, they contacted the woman that lived across the street, cleaned up the area (including her yard), while implementing a solution that made everyone happy. 

Award Winning Culture listens to everyone and gives them the RESPECT that they deserve. 

After all, What might not be a concern for you, could be something very important to them... 

Do you always respect concerns from your community?

How does your influence with district personnel allow you to truly support and serve your community?

How are you creating a safe environment where all are welcome to come in and see you?

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About the Authors

Jennifer Appel is a teacher at Enterprise Middle School.  She has been teaching for 20 years.  Her passion for education comes from growing up in at education driven family (4th generation) and wanting to help and serve others.  She is now driven to create an environment where all students are able to learn and become passionate about serving others.  Jennifer can be contacted through email at awardwinningculture@gmail.com.  You can follow her on twitter at @jennifermappel.  Follow AWC @awculture on instagram @awardwinningculture.  Follow Wildcat Nation on instagram @emsleadership.  #WildcatNation #AwardWinningCulture
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Paul Dowdy is a retired elementary school teacher and principal.  Paul was in education for more than 40 years.  Paul created cultures of excellence at every school he taught at or lead.  Paul was also an adjunct professor at 3 different universities in the state of Washington and a regional director for Heritage University.  Paul has shared his stories all around the state of Washington in the form of presentations.  He's passionate about children and that reflected in all of his work as a reading specialist and his study of the brain and how that drives instruction.  Paul is not on social media...but can be reached near any body of water that's conducive to shadow casting! #FlyFishing