By the time you read this, some of you are already into the new year — hallways full, buses rolling, the first fire drill behind you. Others are holding onto the last quiet mornings before it all begins. Wherever you land on the calendar, the feeling is the same: A fresh start is here, and with it that familiar mix of energy and weight.
I felt both in front of many of you on the EdCon stage this summer, and I feel them now at the start of my first year as your president. So let me begin where I intend to lead all year — with two things I want you to carry with you: You are not alone, and you are exactly the right people for this work.
The work is hard — and you chose it anyway
Let’s be honest about what we signed up for. The higher you climb in educational leadership, the lonelier it can get. There are mornings when it feels like you’re out on open water, a storm rolling in, and you’re not sure you can hold the wheel steady. Every one of us has had one (or more) of those mornings.
And still — when it would be so much easier to batten down the hatches and focus only on your own work, you chose to serve something larger. You show up for students, families, communities and your colleagues. That isn’t the easy path. It’s the leadership path, and knowing all of that you still choose this calling everyday.
You’re not alone
This association — the people at MASSP — are our safe harbor. Joining this organization was one of the first times in my career I felt truly seen, appreciated, and respected as a professional. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because our MASSP staff, the Board of Directors, MASSP leadership, and all our member colleagues in this state make it their mission to make sure none of us has to do this work alone.
So here’s my first ask of the year: Reach out.
Reach out to the colleague down the road who’s fighting the same battle you are. Reach out to MASSP — the staff here show up for this membership every single day, and they’re ready to help. Reach out to a Board member. And reach out to me. My door and my phone are always open. If there’s ever anything I can do for you or for a colleague in your district, I want to hear from you.
Lead with gratitude
One more thing, because it’s how I intend to lead this year. On the EdCon stage, I challenged the room to lead with gratitude, and I want to bring that same challenge to you now.
We spend our days making sure students, families and staff feel like they matter. We don’t always turn that same attention toward each other — or toward the people who keep us steady. The teacher who stays late every Thursday. The custodian with the big smile and the bigger work ethic. The colleague who picked up at 9 p.m., our family and friends who steady us in the face of adversity. Gratitude doesn’t keep. It doesn’t stay warm forever, waiting for a better moment.
A new year is the best possible time to say it. As you settle into the rhythm of the building, tell someone what they mean to you. Don’t let anyone in your orbit wonder whether they matter.
The right people, at the right time
This year will be rewarding and hard. It always is. But I look at this membership and I don’t worry — because I know who’s holding the wheel. You are experienced. You are committed. You have a passion for your students, your staff and your communities. You are exactly the right people for this job.
Back home in Ludington, we like to say it’s a great day to be an Oriole. Wherever your loyalties lie, let me offer one more: It is a great day — and a very special time — to be a part of MASSP.
Let’s make it an extraordinary year. Together.
— Steve Forsberg
President, MASSP Board of Directors
Principal, Ludington High School