darrelhuish.net

Today was a very very good day for Maricopa, in my opinion. Kudos to the Chancellor for forming the blue ribbon panel, and many thank yous are due to the public servants on the panel that lent their expertise to help us sharpen our focus. I know several people went above and beyond to support the panel and to make sure their ideas and documents were available to the Governing Board as soon as possible. Awesome dedication. I also feel glowing appreciation for the Governing Board for a quick two-week turnaround to review and consider sweeping policy changes to sharpen Maricopa’s focus on the public trust we hold.

I know this reads like political rhetoric, but it is what it is. I personally feel ready to embrace change. Not to abandon the past, or to deny all the good that we’ve done in the past, but to recognize that whatever actions carried us to success in the 80s and 90s will need to evolve to continue to carry us forward.

January was the coldest month in decades in Maricopa County. Two consecutive nights of temperatures in the 20s made for an usual trial for a desert adapted landscape. I’ve got my sleeves rolled up this morning, out the in yard, and I have lots a plants that look really rough. It can be disheartening. However, (you knew that was coming didn’t you?), however I’m reminded of my Master Gardening training: always remember, you aren’t growing leaves, you are growing roots. If the roots are good, the leaves will bounce back.

It makes me think about work, and the challenges we face there. It has been a rough winter, and we are feeling a bit damaged, and sometimes disheartened. But I am here to tell you that the roots are good. We have a core of very dedicated people that are engaged in the enterprise of Education for all the right reasons. I work with those people on a daily basis, and it is crystal clear to me that we all want to get better, do good things, and be appreciated for the good things we are doing now. So, it’s a sunny February Saturday morning, and I look closely at my plants and I see new growth. I wish I could speed up time and see what it will look like in April, and in June — but things take time, and move at their own pace. So, for now I am just patiently doing all I can do to keep the roots strong both in the yard, and at work too.