Broken

Not much is said about the need for school administrators to be pastoral. People like to skip that part, and dear Whatever, I could certainly use a break from it. Kids, teachers, parents, all relentlessly asking you if what they think is accurate, or pumping you for information, in the hopes that you have that one juicy tidbit they haven't been able to drag out of someone else.

Really nasty things happen all the time behind the scenes. Families break apart, children suffer, and most horrible of all, no one takes the time to consider human impact. The cycle of hurt can't seem to find an outlet, so they come to you and ask you to make it better. The hard truth is you can't, and even if you could, you won't. Try saying that diplomatically. It can be done, but it uses a great deal of emotional energy that puts you in the position to start the whole cycle over again in your own life.

When the silence returns--and it always does--we can start to heal. It will take time. It will take some outbursts and a whole lot of listening, but it will happen.