With the close of last school year, I completed my 30th campaign in education. Each of those years has been filled with joy and sorrow, challenges and successes, ups and downs and a ton of stories worth sharing. My (True) Life in Education Thus Far will detail 30 or so of those stories. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed living (most) of them!
THE COLOR RED
MARCH 29, 2023
Over the course of my first year or two as principal of Mullen High School, I was often asked to compare my new experiences at Mullen with my prior work at Regis Jesuit High School. Both are independent, Catholic schools meaning they are not run by the Office of Catholic Schools in the Denver Archdiocese. Both were all boys schools in the past. Both are run by religious orders, the Brother of the Christian Schools in Mullen’s case, the Society of Jesus in the case of Regis Jesuit.
The long history I had at Regis Jesuit, my new school Mullen’s cross town rival, was, for my tastes, an all too frequent topic of conversation. I became tired of the question, but had my responses at the ready. I was aware this was going to be a subject of inquiry from the moment I received an interview at Mullen. I was hopeful the curiosity would quickly pass.
It did not.
In fact, the questions about it got into my head.
Mullen High School is Lasallian in our charism. Regis Jesuit High School is Ignatian in its charism. Prior to coming to Mullen, I had been using the word “Ignatian” for almost 25 years. I was certain I was going to – in some disastrously massive and public context, substitute the word “Ignatian” when I meant “Lasallian.” I admit, I have had this happen a handful of times in the last few years. My mind is not what it once was…
I understood the concern behind these questions and I tried to sympathize with it. I think I took the questions with good nature. I believe I replied to the questions with smiles.
The moment that bordered on self-parody, though, was the reaction from some at Mullen the day I wore a red shirt.
Our colors at Mullen are blue and gold. Regis Jesuit’s colors are red and white.
I have many quirks and foibles. One of them is that I choose to wear a comic book character necktie every Wednesday (the day that used to be “new comic day” at stores – the day new comics hit the stands.). One Wednesday in my first year at Mullen, I put on a red button down shirt and either a Spider-Man or Superman tie.
The reaction was immediate. The fact that I had worn the color red at Mullen was pointed out by more than a few of my new colleagues. “We don’t wear red at Mullen,” I was told, “nothing here is red.”
I got it. I did.
I refrained from wearing red for a year or two after that day.
However, yielding to this kind of thinking – this idea that my past did not happen and did not actually inform the (what I hoped was) good work I was doing as principal – was a drain on me.
And it was what my wife calls “form over substance.” I did not then and do not know wish to ever give in to form over substance for any reason.
I have worn red whenever I have wanted to since that day.
(But I wear a lot more blue. And gold.