Running in Circles

Today I had the opportunity to learn alongside my incredible colleagues whose poise and expertise is professionally and personally motivating. As we shared out about our progress, it was hard to not compare myself to others whom seem to be seamlessly interweaving each component of education into their leadership practices. Yet, I encouraged myself to pause and consider where I am at this point on my journey. Nagel & Potter’s text “acknowledg[ing] that progress is not about doing everything at once but about focusing on what matters most, at the right time, for your school” (2026). Each day, I leave work exhausted but eager to return the next day to do it all again. Each day more intentionally, and hopefully with a touch more grace and poise to echo the principles we follow in our CET Impact cycles.

Bauermaster’s concept of “Yellow Light Leadership” grounds me in my day-to-day interactions. A continual growth goal for me to make sure I hear what is being said in each interaction, never simply listening to respond and always taking time for as my friend Marcia says “the conversations that matter” even when I may feel like I am running in circles. As a mom, I need to take the same time to listen to Emma each time not only when I “have” time. It feels as though she is transitioning to the stage where I am no longer cool and mainly serve the purpose of driving her from place to place. Yet, even in these hurried moments, we capture moments and memories.

There are lots of funny jokes about running in circles. Each carries a negative connotation that one must not know where they are going to run in a circle. However, as I reflect on my summer and the start of the 2026-2027 school year (my 4th as an elementary principal and 21st as an educator) some of the most memorable moments have resulted from the circles I run. The pieces of my educational career have now circled family generations as students greet me with questions like “do you know you taught my dad?” These types of questions help me pause to remember the impact we can have (both for the better and the worse) on those we travel with along the way.

For the past six months, I have been training for the Montana Half Marathon. The 13.1 mile distance will forever link me to Josh’s memory, our time together in Laurel, and a need to run with purpose even if running in literal circles around our block. In the past month our Billings community has tragically lost the lives of five young people. A heavy reminder that each day and each hug with those we love is to be treasured.

This year particularly, I needed something to both keep me focused on my health and hold me accountable to making more positive choices. As an educator, I am familiar with the concept that what we measure is what we focus on improving. Having a race to train for gives me just that – the what, the why, and it is up to me to find the how. I am fortunate to have the means to train and Courtney’s full support (he once told me if I ever wanted to do something to help my health, he would never say no). His encouragement and dedication to being healthy continually motivate me to work on building the best version of myself I can be.

We packed lots of family weekends in this summer: camping at Canyon Ferry, Cooney Dam, a trip to Ashley Lake, and a cousin trip to Gulf Shores. My cousin Jeanette and I took a break from our lazy beach vacation to run around a lake (which fittingly, neither of us had planned to run around). The analogy pairing well with both of our stories of love, loss and a need to keep moving.

We finished out the summer with a mom/daughter trip to see Aunt Em where Emma attended her first MLB game. Her smile at the ballpark making all the travel miles worth it.

Back in Billings, I continued to log miles and foster new friendships along the way. Each day of training, my sister (similar to how my mom was) always ready with an encouraging word, a positive text message or notes left in my pockets reminding me I could do it. This feedback loop what I needed to both keep me going and to remind me to enjoy each mile.

As summer has now fallen into fall, the half marathon completed and another academic year underway, I want to continue to move with purpose.

In my “about me” page, I highlight Terry Tempest Williams” When Women Were Birds, noting “what needs to be counted on to have a voice? Courage. Anger. Love. Something to say; someone to speak to; someone to listen.” 

Thank you for listening.

Thank you for pushing me to go further.

Thank you for joining me on this journey, over the bumps, around the bends, along each of the out-and-back and around the circular routes we run.

Nagel, D., & Potter, B. (2026). Developing collaborative expertise teams: Transforming schools through coherence, belonging, and consistency. Corwin.