Jon Millerhagen, MESPA President

Greetings MESPA members, I hope this message finds you feeling productive and in good spirits for a great school year. At MESPA we’ve finished writing the strategic plan from our work at the Leadership Conference, and we held our New Principal’s Seminar. What a privilege it was to experience their passion, enthusiasm and questions. Roger was once again eloquent with humor and legal advice to help our new principals feel confident in their decision-making as the year begins. I thank Stacy DeCorsey, Kris Stueve, Yeu Vang, and Matt Dorschner  -- my fellow “panel of experts” -- for offering their wisdom and advice.

We heard good messages that encouraged new principals to:

• Take care of yourself and your family.
• Set aside time to be physically fit and practice healthy living.
• Visit the classrooms often, have conversations, and listen to your staff. 
• Make sure your supervisor knows your plans and supports you.
• Stay in touch with your division colleagues and attend MESPA meetings.
• Utilize the services that MESPA has to offer.
• Ask for advice.

These messages are good not only for new principals, but are of benefit to any one of us.

Many of you are fully engaged in new initiatives for your schools, as is ours. We have chosen to tackle RtI, PBIS, a Reading First Grant, and Bullying Prevention, along with AYP School Improvement Planning. As you well know, each initiative comes with its own set of goals and challenges. When I get bogged down in the details and our staff struggles to get through the list of tasks, it is helpful for me to step back, look at the problem from a broader view, and heed some of the advice that our panel of experts gave our new principals. I call it the Twenty Thousand Feet Rule.

• If I am dealing with a tough parent, from Twenty Thousand feet at least I have a parent with whom to problem solve. 
• If I am frustrated with new initiatives, from Twenty Thousand Feet at least our staff is working together and improving our school. 
• If I am tired of NCLB, from Twenty Thousand Feet I have to admit that our school is doing a better job of closing the achievement gap. 
• If I am feeling uncertain and alone with the difficulties of the principalship, at Twenty Thousand Feet I see I have a top-notch grassroots professional association that is dedicated to ensuring I am successful. 

Whether a brand-new principal, a mid-career leader, or a seasoned veteran, we all have times in our journey when we need the kind of support that the Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association offers. Reach out and ask for help and advice, and MESPA will be there for you.

I wish to thank all the Division Presidents, Presidents-elect, and committee representatives for their work in creating meaningful division meetings during this year. And finally, I invite you to reserve February 3-5 and join me at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel for the 2010 MESPA Institute, Bridges to the Future: valuing tradition, leading change.

Check out the Institute schedule in the November Advocate, and all the details posted on our MESPA Web (click on Professional Development). I’m especially looking forward to Jamie Almanzan’s courageous conversations on diversity, and Scott McLeod’s guidance on how to reconcile state accountability with the need to prepare our students for the digital, global age.

From Twenty Thousand Feet, I see you standing beside me on the bridge to the future!