It’s Thanksgiving, and I promise not to complete any significant school work today. Admittedly, if I write any emails on this day or Christmas, I keep them as drafts and send them out the following day. I’ve indeed received gentle ribbing for working on these sacred days.

But publishing a blog post is hardly work, at least today. I am most thankful for these three things in my role as a principal and educator:

• From the beginning of the pandemic in March to now, my teacher colleagues have been resilient and hard working. Their attitude has been consistently positive despite having to reinvent education, teach with the specter of the virus surrounding their every move, and working as if they are first-year teachers all over again. Likewise, my administrator colleagues have been great sounding boards and full of inspirational creativity.
• The vast majority of parents have taken up the challenge of schooling during the pandemic by being part-time teachers. All of them signed up to be parents, but none of them agreed to be part-time teachers. Their children’s success as students is even more dependent on the efforts of their parents and guardians. I am incredibly thankful to caregivers such as aunts, uncles, and grandparents who courageously have taken on the parenting role. You are heroes.
• I am so thankful for my family, who I love and admire so much. We are all mentally struggling in our ways, but my wife and my kids all have enough space in their lives to care for me and each other. My daughter, an elementary teacher, has the remarkable challenge to raise an 11-month-old daughter of her own with a supportive husband while teaching in-person and remotely in an inner-city school. Her audacity inspires me.

Have the most unusual Thanksgiving ever. It’s still my favorite holiday of the year.