You. Are. Not. Alone.

A lot of mental health issues have popped up with students in the last 12 months of the pandemic, but the same can be said for our school leaders. It's been a rough year and there are many suicides that I've personally been affected by, which brings me to Dear Evan Hansen.

Having listened to the soundtrack for the last year or so meant I was singing along (quietly) to a performance where I didn't really know the story line. Sure, the lyrics helped with my insights, but the real message was about a number of someones who, during the course of the two acts, emerged as souls feeling alone. And sometimes lost.

I get lost. Sometimes in leadership we can feel that way. Leading can be lonely and if we're at a site where its just us, like an elementary school, or in other positions where we can lack readily available thought partners, its not so easy.

But Dear Evan Hansen was about alone in a very different way. There was a sense of mental illness in it with the character of Conner Murphy who had been very angry for a very long time and his family's lack of being able to support and affect his behavior. He felt very lost. And alone.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the show made me think....

- about the students who feel alone in our classrooms, especially those who seem like they don't naturally fit in

- about the parents, especially the single ones out there, trying their best to parent and connect and, in an area like the very expensive Silicon Valley, figuring out how to make ends meet with one or two or even three jobs...during a pandemic

- about the teachers and classified staff who give all of themselves every single day, often at the expense of their own families and health

- about the administrators who often take their work home with them, waking in the middle of the night trying to figure out how to figure it all out, because heaven knows this job doesn't come with a user's manual

At work, let's face it. Feeling alone is feeling alone. And at this time of the year, it can manifest itself so many ways and feel ever so heavy.

My challenge to you this week is to hone your skills of hearing and seeing and sensing. Look out for those signs that may let you know someone needs help. Support. A smile. A hug. A kind word.

And then look around a little further. Are there those in your school or district who are just a little more quiet? A little distant? What can you do to reach out in a different way and let them know that you care? Is there a perspective that you can use to better see others and help them

We all need to be reminded - we are not alone.

#YouAreNotAlone