Dear PenSPRA Friends,

I care…

A lot.

And apparently, my face is pretty quick to let everyone know it.

My name is Jenn Shealy, your PenSPRA President. I’m 45 years old, I have an 11-year-old and a 7-year-old, I’ve worked in school communications for nearly 20 years, and I’m a crier. There, I said it.

But before you start questioning whether I’m cut out for this work, hear me out. Most of the things that make me tear up aren’t sad at all.

The things that get me are usually the moments that remind me why this work matters: the look on a student’s face when they realize they’ve done something they once thought was impossible, the pride in a teacher’s voice when they talk about why they chose education, the electricity in the air on the first day of school, a community coming together for each other when it matters most. Those moments get me every time.

I used to worry that my tendency to care so much would be a liability in my job.

As school communicators, we are expected to be calm, measured, and strategic. We are often on the front lines when something difficult happens, helping our teams determine what needs to be said and how best to communicate with people who may be scared, angry, confused, or grieving. We’re expected to put our own feelings aside and do the work.

But I’ve started to think about the difference between managing our emotions and shutting them off completely.

The more time I spend in this profession, the less I believe that caring deeply is a liability. In fact, I think it can be one of our greatest strengths.

Because people can tell when you care.

Read more here!