When my colleague and friend Bryan Harris asked me to co-author a book about resilient school leaders, I couldn’t think of any reason to say no. It was so needed! We were just coming out of the pandemic and facing a whole litany of new challenges. I really thought this time period would be just a quick recovery after our experiences, but what I realized is that we had to go through a recovery period where we needed to heal from the challenges we faced. Just like any recovery, we get impatient with the time it takes to be fully back to our “regular” selves. This was the time that we really needed to be resilient since our expectations of what school should be looked different.
Working on this project helped me to process through the obstacles faced as a school leader. As a school principal, my role is to support my staff and students while trying to manage the day-to-day operations and be the best instructional leader I can be. It’s no surprise that it takes resiliency to do that! The content and strategies in this book helped me to manage my own stress and bounce back from the unknown situations I experienced. As a school leader, you need to build your resiliency… be aware of your own responses and behaviors that shift the school’s climate and culture, be mindful and fully present, and most importantly, protect your time and practice self-care. While these are not new concepts, they are essential for leading the best that you can. I challenge you to build your resiliency and keep moving forward towards true success! Check it out on Amazon!
Janet Gilbert, Ph.D. 