Resignation

I am finished as president. 

I took on the new charter full speed ahead so I will see that through as a non-officer, a non-public entity, and someone who doesn't have responsibility for such weighty matters as hiring and firing principals.

I am through with making decisions that no matter what you do, you anger someone.

I am finished with disagreeing mentally with people and then in the end deferring to the decision of the majority (because that is what good presidents do) and then taking the heat for a bad decision.

I am done with laws that are supposed to provide the public with more access to information but in the end force you not to work with people outside of meetings and therefore provide fewer opportunities for public collaboration.

I am no longer interested in having every word I say be seen as a public policy ("I don't think every teacher here is the best we could possibly find" turns into a witch hunt in which I have somehow marked people for termination while "you are amazing" turns into job security).

I have learned something about myself that I am really proud of, however, after this stint of very small time public office:  I have grit.  Daniel Pink refers to the science of motivation and suggests that people who are successful are not particularly talented, smart, or special. It turns out that what makes people successful is grit--the ability to stick with something.  So I did something that was really, really hard, and I stuck with it.  I think I will always feel good for the effort I put into saving the school and I hope I have a little more grit left in me to see this through to completion.  If you are smart, which doesn't do anything for you anyway, then you will click on that link and watch it.  Brilliant.  

Thanks for following the story, stay tuned.