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October 2007 --
from MESPA President Richard Oscarson
"Make a difference. Make a connection this month with one of the new MESPA principals or a reconnection with another principal in your division or school district."
The theme for our MESPA Institute this coming February is “Changes, Challenges, Connections.” For those of us who have been around a few years, we know that each year there will be changes at our schools. Principals also know there will be challenges at our schools. In fact I remember Joan Wilcox, my superintendent from Dover-Eyota, told me when I was a first-year principal that if there weren’t challenges there wouldn’t be a need for principals. Now each time I’m faced with a challenge, I think of Joan and am thankful for job security. Rather than focus on the changes and challenges principals face each day, in this issue I will be writing about connections.
I just returned from the annual MESPA Leadership Conference where I had the pleasure and honor of working with over 100 MESPA principals from around our great state. We worked hard on your behalf to adopt and begin the implementation of the five MESPA Strategic Goals. As I took time to observe our eight committees working together, each with members from all 12 MESPA divisions, I was most impressed with the connections they were making with one another. I saw principals reconnecting with colleagues and connecting with new colleagues. I saw principals from different geographic areas of Minnesota coming together for one purpose: to improve the quality of schools for all Minnesota children.
On the way home from the Leadership Conference I thought about some of the connections I have made during my 20 years as a MESPA principal. When I started my first position, Dave Ruzek, a principal from Stewartville, called to welcome me and let me know that if I needed anything I should give him a call. A few weeks later, Al Rasmussen from St. Charles invited me to a meeting for “Principals Around Rochester” where I made connections with other principals from SE Minnesota. Two of those southeast principals (Mike Meyer from Hayfield and Norm Hecmovich from Austin) encouraged me and stretched me professionally during my four years in SE Minnesota.
When I moved to the suburban world of Lakeville, I made new connections thanks to the principals in my new school district: Bob Indihar, Anne Lyons, Connie Miller, and Jon Braun. They invited me to a “South of the River” principals meeting where I met Dar Fossey, a principal from Prior Lake whose words of support helped me make the transition from a smaller school district to a larger school district. Later I connected with Tom Schwartz, a principal from Eagan, who encouraged me to take various leadership roles with MESPA and to always keep our students as number one focus -- and have fun doing it.
I’m still making connections today and I’m grateful to the colleagues who took the time to welcome me as a new principal in Dover-Eyota and as the newer principal to Lakeville. Those principals took time from their busy schedules to connect with someone starting a new position. They invited me to be part of our group, MESPA. They encouraged me, guided me, and mentored me through one of the most challenging, yet rewarding jobs in education: an elementary principal.
I encourage each of you to make a connection this month with one of the new MESPA principals or a reconnection with another principal in your division or school district. Invite him/her to your next division meeting, or to have lunch with you at Institute, or to share a cup of coffee after school some day. Who knows what your connection will mean? Maybe in 20 years another President of MESPA will mention your name in an article as a person who connected and made a difference for him/her.
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