AF FIL IATE LEA DERSHIP
Pay it Forward BY TIM D E WAARD, President, NASA; Superintendent, Centennial Public Schools
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DeWaard
ongratulations, you are now the acting superintendent.” As a young administrator in a small school, I did not feel ready for this next step. The next day as I sat in the superintendent’s office, I had no idea what to do next. The chair felt good, the desk was large, and as I looked around the office, I wondered what I was supposed to do? Luckily, a neighboring superintendent had heard what happened and told me, if I needed anything, to give him a call. I often wondered if he ever regretted saying that, because I called often. I am forever indebted to him for his mentorship of me. I would not have survived that year or the years to follow without having someone to call and ask questions of. According to John C. Crosby, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” I certainly needed everything that my mentor could offer at the time, but the mentoring didn’t last just a year. I continued to call him from time to time for many years. Currently, I still have many colleagues that I call or email for ideas and support. Six years ago, Dr. Dan Ernst started the New Superintendent’s Program. The goal of the New Superintendent’s Program is to initiate a planned, purposeful, and effective program of activities and training development opportunities in order to promote success for first-time Nebraska superintendents, as well as experienced superintendents from other states who are new to Nebraska.
One of the critical components that leads to the success of this program is the willingness of fellow colleagues to serve as mentors. Each new superintendent is matched with a current and experienced superintendent to receive guidance and support, ensuring each new superintendent will have the best chance to be successful. Oh, I wish that this program would have been in place nineteen years ago, when I was thrust into the superintendency. There were times when I floundered as I felt I should know what I was doing and was too stubborn to ask for help or advice. I now understand that everyone needs a support network and every superintendent asks for advice from time to time. While the Nebraska Association of School Administrators (NASA) is a relatively small group, we are also a very tight group. I have never heard of anyone refusing to help a colleague and I am very proud to be a part of this group. In the movie “Pay It Forward,” Trevor conjures the notion of paying a favor not back, but forward—repaying good deeds not with payback, but with new good deeds done to three new people. I hope that we all look to pay it forward to others in the profession. “Successful people turn everyone who can help them into sometimes mentors!” John C. Crosby. Thank you to all of my sometimes mentors. Nineteen years later, I hope I’m wiser and more experienced, but I know that I still need “sometimes mentors.” I
ESUCC’s BlendEd Initiative (continued from page 13) building and student in the state to tap into a shared set of rich educational resources while also ensuring that local school districts maintain their own perspective and control has been the philosophy established in distance education. The system allows districts to collaborate to enhance their own offerings rather than somehow abdicate local control. I would have it no other way. This is not a “build it and they will come” approach. After all, we are not Iowa. (“Field of Dreams” reference in case you missed it). Instead, the build out of this system has been based on actual needs of school districts, the coordination of ESU systems and services already in place, and the vision to unite efforts that enhance local educational opportunities.
There is far more to come. This can get really technical, (mind boggling) and it is easy to get lost in such discussions. Just know that such systems are built to connect to and unite other digital materials systems. They are built to connect to national, state, and local resources. They are designed to accomplish both scale in the acquisition and retention of materials, and deliver them efficiently and effectively to your classrooms and your students’ homes. The ESUs remain dedicated to building systems for this future vision. However, it is the whole state, the human network of educators that is most critical to a system’s success. We appreciate your partnership in all such efforts. I
SPRING 2013
NCSA TODAY
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