Sarah Lightner, Grade School Principal, at home with her husband Bill Lightner, Affordable Housing Project Manager, and their children Kip, Julia and Caroline, and dog Scout.
"This is my first year as an elementary
school principal so sometimes It's hard to distinguish what unique to
this year. What I find most challenging this year is the wide range of
what parents and teachers want. Some families would like synchronous
lessons all day with a lot of online work and some families want very
little. Some folks are really ready to get back into the building and
others are very scared and worried. The range of opinions and emotions
is great. I hope to be a supportive listening ear. We will never make
everyone happy- this year especially- and yet everyone's opinions are
important and valid. There is a story behind each viewpoint.
I
am a generally, upbeat, we-can-handle-this kind of gal. I find I am more
fragile and teary these days. I am more intentional about making a cup
of tea, going for a walk, texting my friends, asking for a hug. It's a
lot. And yet we have made it seven+ months. Our kids are spending more
time together than ever before. They laugh and fight and figure things
out.
Pre-pandemic, most weekends we would get together with friends, go
out for great meal, catch a concert. And while we still do those things
it's on a much smaller scale. It's more likely that we make dinner or
get take out and watch episodes of The Office or a Minnesota United
game. Now we are envisioning and negotiating what winter will look like.
We want to maintain our social connections while being safe and embrace
being outdoors as much as possible. I see a lot of skiing, skating and
conversations by our new fire pit in our future."
"The murder of George Floyd intensified my desire to seek equity in our public schools. I have only been in the St. Paul Public Schools for two years and I am heartened over and over again by the diverse leadership in the district and the overt and intentional desire to make our schools work for all children. I seek out conversations, books and professional development that force me to reflect on my practices and find a better path forward. Our schools need to be warm, inclusive environments that foster the academic and social-emotional growth of all of our students. I continue to believe public schools are a bedrock of a strong democracy and George Floyd's murder shone a light on the cracks in our bedrock."
"I want to
support our teachers, staff and parents and listen during this most
challenging time. My hope is to be transparent and honest. And as we
potentially move toward hybrid I want the school to be safe. This year
has taught us that nothing stays the same. We can continue to shift and
grow as we teach and learn during a pandemic. We have never done this
before and we need to give each other grace.
I remember reading what Barack Obama told his daughters
after Trump won. 'What I say to them is that people are complicated.
Societies and cultures are really complicated … This is not mathematics;
this is biology and chemistry. These are living organisms, and it’s
messy. And your job as a citizen and as a decent human being is to
constantly affirm and lift up and fight for treating people with
kindness and respect and understanding. And you should anticipate that
at any given moment there’s going to be flare-ups of bigotry that you
may have to confront, or may be inside you and you have to vanquish. And
it doesn’t stop … You don’t get into a fetal position about it. You
don’t start worrying about apocalypse. You say, O.K., where are the
places where I can push to keep it moving forward.' "
"I am hopeful. There are some really significant inequities and fears that need to be addressed. We need to have a vision of what we want our community to look like and wake up every morning and do work that gets us closer to that ideal. We want our schools to be vibrant, joyful places of learning. Each day I hope my work makes this happen."