"There and care"

“Appreciate you coming out to support us today, Mr. Bloomer.”

A senior on my campus said to me as I was leaving the regional wrestling tournament this weekend. This young man had just won two matches to earn a spot at the state tournament. This was a fantastic accomplishment, and as I shook his hand, I congratulated him. He was proud of his accomplishment, and I could tell it meant something to him that I was excited for him. I can’t wait to see him this week in the hallways and again next weekend in Houston, Texas, at the state tournament.

I left and drove to our district pool to support our boys and girls as they competed in their regional tournament. As you can tell, it was a busy weekend.

I kept thinking about the student who thanked me for doing my job. Yes, I was doing my job on Saturday. My job was to attend the wrestling and swimming competitions as the administrator on duty.

But this is my calling, not my job.

Dr. Bobby Martinez, a thought partner and educational leader who works in Alvin ISD, shared his philosophy with me years ago. This still resonates with me and is crucial to being a successful leader.

“There and care.”

Dr. Martinez believes that you must show everyone you care when you are there. Think about that for a moment.

When you are in a meeting, it is crucial to communicate to those in the meeting that you care about the content, the speakers, and the information.

When doing lunch or hallway duty, you must show you enjoy spending time with the students and staff.

When attending extracurricular activities, it is essential to cheer on the volleyball team, the kids in the choir, or the wrestlers.

“There and care”

Now, consider the opposite. Imagine being in a meeting and checking social media, your email, or talking with a colleague during the presentation.

Imagine doing lunch duty and not interacting with any students. Imagine standing against the wall during the passing period or not greeting staff while walking the halls now.

Imagine sitting at the wrestling match with my head buried in my phone. Imagine if when the young man said thank you to me, I mumbled something nonspecific and unrelated to his accomplishment because I wasn’t paying attention.

This week, I challenge you to look for opportunities to implement the " there and care” approach to leadership. It might be one of the most straightforward strategies for you as a leader to shape your school's climate.

I look forward to hearing how this works for you.

Please also think about Angel and his teammates on Friday and Saturday as they compete at the highest level of wrestling in Texas.