My friend, Joy Hood, former teacher, principal and coach told me about the first time she had to fire someone and a colleague said, “Be the person you want to be even when you’re doing something you don’t want to do.”
With that in her mind, she maintained her own integrity and compassion while letting someone go who needed to go.
This advice has helped me hold onto what Parker Palmer refers to as my ‘north star,’ what is most important to me, in my heart as a teacher, especially when I have to comply mandates and requirements I don’t believe in. Sometimes there is a small spark at best but still I don’t lose myself completely.