Kristina Wallace Educator of the Year Speech 2017-2018 Good Morning Windsor Public Schools faculty, staff, and administrators, Dr. Cooke, members of the Board of Education and Town Council, distinguished guests, family, and friends. Thank you for the opportunity to stand before all of you today as your 2017-2018 Educator of the Year for Windsor Public Schools. It is such a surreal feeling to actually say that statement out loud, as many of my colleagues at the high school know how awkward I am with receiving public attention and, when I first found out that I had been selected, often made really strange statements in response to being congratulated- I believe it was Hyacinth Defoe that said to me in the hallway one day, “honey, just say thank you and move along!” Beyond the discomfort of public recognition, it is even more surreal to imagine being Educator of the Year when I reflect on the amazing educators that we have working in all different roles throughout our school district. I have been able to witness firsthand the incredible levels of dedication, creativity, passion, and emotion that so many of us bring to the work each day and hear from students, families, colleagues, and members of the community about the fantastic work that is being done to support our students to grow, learn, and achieve to the highest level possible. While there is always work to be done, improvement to be made, and changes to come, there is one thing that I believe nearly every person that we work alongside brings to their work each day in Windsor- we love our kids. Whether they’re first learning how to decode in Mrs. Scott’s kindergarten class, learning about the Civil War in Ms. Bowman’s class, preparing for the physical fitness test with Mr. Farr, beginning to read in Mrs. Butterick’s class, receiving math enrichment with Mrs. Vasquez, developing study skills with Mr. Porrello, or preparing for their advanced placement calculus exam with Mrs. Pointek or Ms. Gottier, our students are walking into buildings and classrooms each day to adults who love them and will do anything in their power to ensure that our kids succeed. That level of passion may be developed through collaboration, may be cultivated through a strong school climate, or may even grow out of a professional learning community. But, at the core, I believe that level of compassion and care comes out of our basic human nature because, at the end of the day, we are all human beings with varying needs, struggles, achievements, highs, lows, “stuff” and we all have our own “why.” The question I pose to you as we open our 2017-2018 school year, and every year thereafter: What is your why? Within the varying student needs, initiatives, personnel changes, changes with the “leadership” of our country and unimaginable political climate, and beyond, it is natural to focus on the stressors in life that are completely beyond our control. With that comes
high levels of stress, anxiety, and obstacles that get in the way of our ability to perform any task to our full potential- whether it be supporting a student struggling to remain motivated on a particular concept, remembering to complete the midyear form on Talent Ed, or even getting to the gym to work out after a long day. Everything in life feels harder and more difficult when we lose focus on our own “why”- specifically when stressors come up in our own personal lives which we know then have an impact on our overall being. On the most difficult of days, whether it be on a 14 hour parent conference day when you don’t have the chance to eat dinner, talk to your kids, or sometimes even use the bathroom, or when you are struggling to capture kids’ hearts (thank you, Lyn Holzman), it is even more critical to have established coping skills to remain true to your “why,” in order to maintain a healthy style of living to ensure that we return the next day, just as focused as day one, ready to support all students on their path to achievement. In order to better understand the journey that I have taken to establish my “why,” the next part is going to be a little tough for me to share in front of this small crowd of hundreds of people so, please, bear with me. There are many components to my “why”our dynamic students and their life experiences, my passion for equity and ensuring that every student is provided with the support and resources needed to achieve their “why,” and the diverse community that we are so lucky to serve as educators being a few part of that why. Some of the biggest parts of my why are sitting in the front row of this auditorium today. My mom and dad- Marlene and John, my sister Kelly, and my Nana, former Mayor Pat Reilly. My family, “my people,” are a huge part of the reason why I am an educator, why I will do anything in my power to help others, and why I have such a great sense of humor-my dad literally used to carry a list of jokes around in his pocket with him to ensure that he could always get a laugh out of anyone or anything- even a wall. My first few years as a school counselor were spent in another school district, after working as a school counseling intern here at Windsor High School during graduate school, and the entire time that I was in that other district, I felt myself questioning my “why.” It was hard to put my finger on what exactly did not feel right but I found myself picking up the phone and calling Lori Foote-Mitchell nearly 2-3 times per week with questions and knew that Windsor was where I was supposed to be. The stars aligned and I ended up taking a “limited” contract position back at Windsor High (leaving a full-time position elsewhere) and applied for what would eventually be my permanent job three times before I was considered a non-limited member of the staff (although Frank Scott does still have my nameplate with the “limited” title on it for the memories). The day that I signed my contract to return to Windsor, on Friday December 13, 2013, my whole world changed. For years, a huge part of my “why” was solely based on my professional role, my professional responsibilities, and my identity solely as a school
counselor. My personal life and family life was always so calm and predictable that it was just a part of who I was and not something that I needed to worry about as much as I did my professional life. The day I returned to Windsor, where I knew I was supposed to be, my life was flipped upside down. That day began the journey for me to learn about what really needed to be my “why” in order to maintain the same level of professionalism and dedication to my career as I now needed to commit to my family, my personal life, and my own health and wellbeing. On Friday, December 13th, 2013, my father had a heart attack while fielding hundreds of media calls during a snowstorm as Director of Communications at Bradley Airport (I mean, honestly, how many times can NBC 30 call and ask if flights are delayed- there is two feet of snow on the ground…) That day changed our family forever. As my dad received phenomenal treatment in the cardiac ICU at St. Francis Hospital, the one piece of information that the doctors did not mention is the high correlation of mental health and depression concerns to cardiac issues. The man that we knew, the man that was always on the go, at every soccer game growing up, always offering words of wisdom and advice, the man that showed me how a father, husband and professional should carry himself, slowly started to fade away to a person that neither he nor our family recognized. The trauma, stress, and emotional rollercoaster that my dad was on, with our family by his side, was nearly unimaginable. There have been days over the past few years that I will never forget and days that I would rather forget. There have been moments where I have received news at school that required me to rely on my colleagues for support, collaboration, and coverage in a moments notice and I have been beyond lucky to work alongside and for some of the most compassionate people that I know. There have been interactions with various healthcare providers that have made all of the difference in the world and there have been interactions that have opened our family’s eyes to some unbelieveable and unethical practices that go on in various hospitals and medical settings. Through this journey, my “why” sometimes changed by the minute and sometimes change by the month. There have been highs and lows, moments of triumph and moments of sorrow, but through it all, there has been one clear “why” that has guided and shaped my personal and professional life to a place of peace and positivity: unless we acknowledge and recognize all of the “stuff” that each person brings into an interaction with others, we will never truly be able to work together toward a common goal in the most productive way possible. (I reflected for a long time on a word more that seemed more professional/descriptive than “stuff” and I'm sure the creative writers in the audience are cringing-I'm sorry Ms. Jackson! but “stuff” seemed to sum it up best!)
A school system is such an incredibly complex organization with a really basic goal: to help all students achieve to the highest potential possible and achieve their goals beyond PreK-12 education. Within that, there are so many moving parts: students, educators, family engagement, instruction, assessment, curriculum, pupil services, equity, school climate, attendance, truancy, post-secondary planning, etc. What is often looked over, however, is all of the “stuff” that impacts students, educators, families, and the school system as a whole and may get in the way of achieving that relatively simple goal. I’m sure every person in this room can sit for a moment and reflect on the vast, complex life experiences that they bring into their work each day and that their students bring into their classrooms each day- the story that I shared about my own life experiences is not unique and oftentimes, as a counselor, we support staff just as much as we support students. Within PreK-12 public education, however, there is no data-driven measure that accounts for the stressors, life experiences, traumas, and beyond that we or our students experience. The measure of success is seen through standardized test scores, attendance rates, discipline numbers, and beyond. As a result, it can be easy to get caught up in the grind, forgetting about everything that we and our students bring in with us each day, forgetting to remain focused on our own “why,” which is often shaped by the “stuff” that I have referenced throughout this speech. Unless we work incredibly hard to surround ourselves with individuals who help keep us grounded, keep us focused on our “why,” and take the necessary steps to develop healthy coping skills to stay focused on that “why,” we will not be our best selves, our students will not grow into their best self, and our school system will not function to achieve the goal that we are all working toward: to develop the genius in every child and create lifelong learners. I've referenced coping skills many times so far this morning and want to reinforce the importance of identifying and following through on the coping skills that work for you to remain focused on your Why. For me, my physical health took a sharp decline in the midst of the mental health journey that my family was on with my dad and I knew that, unless I made some significant changes, I would be heading down a pretty scary path. I can vividly remember the day in 2014 that four of my closest friends here in Windsor sent me a groupon to sign up for a mud obstacle 5k. After I finished laughing at the thought, and after weeks of prodding (Kathy Clarke can be very convincing) I took a leap and signed up to run longer than I had since high school soccer. While that race was not my best display of athleticism (I think I cried at least four times but we wore our medals to school that Monday like we had won the race), it was the catalyst that reminded me of the power of exercise, the importance of surrounding yourself with others who can push you and support you in taking on new challenges, and it showed me that I could get myself and my health back to a good place. 115 pounds later, a regular at crossfit, 22 five K races on my journey to complete 30 before 30, and recently taking on yoga, I have
exceeded the expectations that I set for myself when I decided that focusing on my health was the most important coping skill that I could develop in the midst of identifying and staying true to my own Why. This year, I challenge you to identify a new coping method, set a goal for yourself, ask others to hold you accountable to that method and measure your outcomes in the end for you and only you. It is essential to know your Why but it is equally important to have the skills and tools to keep yourself in a place to stay focused on that Why. As you enter the 2017-2018 school year, and every year and day thereafter, I encourage you to answer four simple questions as you walk through the doors of your building every morning and afternoon: 1) What is my WHY? 2) What do I need (from myself, from others) in order to achieve my WHY today? 3) Do others know what my WHY is? 4) Do I take the time to understand others’ WHY and inquire into what I can do to support their WHY? There may be days where your WHY is harder to stay focused on than others, there may be days where all you need in order to accomplish your WHY is a coffee at Dunkin but you got stuck on 84 trying to get into the 91 north lane and you have to make that game time decision between being on time and getting the caffeine needed to get through the day, there may be days where you do not feel as if you have it in you to understand the WHY of the student who just keeps asking you, “But why? Why? Why?” seemingly on an endless cycle, and there may be days where you feel like the focus of your organization or building conflicts with your own WHY. But unless you are explicitly taking the time to reevaluate your WHY, what you need to stay true to it, communicating with others about your WHY and their WHY, and doing your best to understand the WHY of others, very much in the way we, as educators, are constantly reflecting on our practice to best serve the needs of our students, then you are not doing what you need to do to give yourself the tools and support needed to be the best that we need you to be in order to make Windsor Public Schools a place where our WHY guides the work that we do each day for our current students, our future students, and our professional practice. Life is complex and I know that I am only very much at the beginning of my journeyboth professionally and personally. What I have learned in my time on this Earth so far (especially in the last few years) is that we only get one shot at life-we can spend our time focused on the challenges, the obstacles, and what we cannot control or we can take control of what is important to us, why that is important and remain true to our beliefs to ensure that the legacy that we leave behind is one that reflects the WHY that
motivates each and every one of us. In the world- make that country- that we live in today, it is more important now than ever to remain grounded in our own Why and to fight for and stand by what we know is right. As I was writing this speech this summer, I felt as if I could go in so many different directions but chose to share the experiences that I have gone through in developing my own WHY for a few reasons: 1) the world of mental health has such a stigma around it and I take every chance I can get to break that stigma and share the work that my family has done to battle and overcome the challenges that have been placed in front of us 2) I believe sharing the vulnerable and personal life experiences that we all go through gives context to who we are and gives the opportunity to help others who may be battling similar challenges and 3) my family is the most important part of my life and without my amazing mom (who truly is my hero), my dad, my sister Kelly, and my Nana, I would not be who I am today. There are so many people that I would want to thank who have provided guidance, mentorship, support, love and opportunity to me as a professional, as a person, and in this new role as Educator of the Year that it would be hard to try and recognize everyone. I do want to thank my colleagues and friends at the high school across all departments, my supervisor and mentor Lori Foote-Mitchell, the administrative team both at the high school and across the district, my friends and family, Chris Rau and Lyn Holzman- both of which have since left the district but were huge influences on me, all of the individuals throughout the district and community who have reached out to share their support for this recognition, and most importantly, our students. The students are why we do what we do each day. They will always be embedded in my WHY, regardless of the role I may be in, because they are at the center of who I am, why I do the work that I do, and provide the inspiration and energy to keep the work and momentum going. As I close, and as we hit the start button after a summer to refresh, relax, and reenergize, I encourage you to take a moment each day to ask yourself, what is my why and what do I need to do to remain focused on it? Thank you and I wish you all the best for a great school year!
