All of our new staff and many of our mentors and leaders have been hard at work for a few weeks and have helped us have a great kick-off to another year of service to families, schools and communities. Most area schools welcome students later this week, and I know this is a busy time for all of us.
So, before we dive headlong into a new year, please allow me to pass along a few words of appreciation and encouragement. The single most important thing I can do this time of year is to simply remind you that our work is critically important to kids, teachers, families and our society as a whole. The whirlwind comes fast and hard every August, but I would encourage each of us to take a few minutes before we dive in and just reflect on what it is that we really do and how important the outcomes of our work is to the people we serve.
The second thing I would remind us of is that you are doing high-quality work, often under difficult circumstances. Our efforts can be taken for granted and even go unnoticed. I believe this happens because our team executes its daily work with consistency and quality. That never goes unnoticed by me or our leadership team. Our leadership team met for a full day a couple weeks ago, and one of our biggest celebrations was the fact that we have great people working in our agency -- people who are making a difference and are committed to service.
Finally, I want to say a few words about one of agency core values -- a value we really try to live by -- caring. Of our three core values -- caring, proactive and collaborative -- I believe caring is the most foundational and most important. You, our staff, clearly care about the people we serve and the services we provide. But there is another dimension to caring that we too often overlook, and I would encourage all of us to make it a priority this year.
First, we need to care for ourselves, both physically and emotionally. For those of you who haven’t done so, I encourage you to fully investigate the many wellness opportunities offered at Heartland AEA. I think you will find that these opportunities, if taken advantage of, will improve the quality of your personal and professional lives. I encourage you to take time to regularly reflect on your value to the students, families and educators we serve.
Secondly, after you take care of yourself, please take time to care for your colleagues and co-workers. No matter their role, they are working hard just like you. Let’s be intentional about encouraging and thanking some people we might have taken for granted in the past. They deserve our appreciation and thanks.
And speaking of thanks, thank you for being part of our Heartland AEA team and for the many things you do that might not always get noticed. You are appreciated!
Here's to a great year!
Jon
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