…and I live in a small town. If the title alone doesn’t get the famous song running through your mind, take a moment to listen to this little ditty (couldn’t resist throwing in another Mellencamp reference).
So technically, I was born in a larger city close to my small town, and I live in the country outside of that same small town. But, that just doesn’t make for good lyrics. John Mellencamp and I are also both from Indiana, and while I identify with much of his famous song, there is a part where I disagree.
“My job is so small townProvides little opportunity”
There are opportunities anywhere and everywhere. Leaders look for those opportunities, or they are the ones who create them. I love being an educator in a small town. It was a choice. Just as it was a choice to return to my hometown to raise my own children in that small town. I don’t apologize for working in a small district. I don’t feel less than my colleagues who work in larger corporations. I actually have an advantage in many ways. There is more opportunity to get to know all of the stakeholders better; to form more authentic relationships. I like to learn teachers’ strengths and encourage them to share their talents/knowledge with peers. I have the opportunity to get to know the children I work with and their families. I can focus more on the learning, and less on the statistics of testing data. Do I have as many financial opportunities as leaders in larger school districts? Probably not. But then, what educator chose this career for the money?
“I can breathe in a small town.”