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Featured Principals: May 2024
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How and why did you become a principal? I taught elementary physical education for 10 years and during that time I participated in the Minnesota Education Policy Fellowship (MNEPF) program. It was during my time as a Education Policy Fellow that I was able to see myself as a school principal. I really love teaching and working directly with students, but I was in awe at the magnitude of the bigger picture which lies in principalship. What are you most proud of in your work? I am most proud of my ability to recognize that it is not the message that makes them uncomfortable, it's the package in which it is delivered. I pride myself on providing a safe and welcoming space for Black students and educators to learn and grow without feeling less than, isolated and/or unsupported. It is my hope that I am able to heal pieces of harm caused by the educational system in all, both adults and students through my commitment to ensuring they have a safe space to be their authentic selves. What's something that's had success in your school that you think other principals could borrow? Bringing humanity back into education! One thing that is important to the leadership team at our school is keeping humanity at the forefront. We all carry various titles and play a variety of roles in and outside of the school but we must never forget that the most overlooked title is human. Centering humanity when we speak to each other, problem solve and provide support for each other. Focusing on humanity has helped our school navigate difficult staffing issues as well as student concerns. | What are some strategies you use to keep your work and life balanced? The best strategy I utilize is knowing my whole self. I know when I perform best and what I need to do so. I prioritize my mental and physical health (exercise and adequate sleep are a must!) and set firm boundaries around work and personal life. What piece of advice would you give a new principal OR what piece of advice have you gotten that has been most useful? Surround yourself with good support system. How many years have you been a principal? 4 |
How and why did you become a principal? When I graduated from college, I truly thought the only career I would ever have was an art teacher because I experienced such joy in helping students find their creativity. However, after taking on a few leadership roles within my district, I discovered a passion for contributing to a larger community and having the opportunity to serve all students. What are you most proud of in your work? One of the things I am most proud of is how our school has taken great strides in teaching the whole child over the past several years. We've implemented PBIS, a comprehensive SEL curriculum, restructured our MTSS processes, and doubled-down on our commitment to building genuine connections with our students and their families. All of the aforementioned practices have led to positive outcomes and an overall improved school culture and climate. What's something that's had success in your school that you think other principals could borrow? As a school, we are extremely good at providing interventions aligned with areas where students could use more support. However, about three years ago, our master schedule had some openings and rather than fill it with more intervention spots, we seized the opportunity to provide enrichment classes instead. Since then, our students have gotten to explore video productions, learn how to play the guitar, create fiber art, train for and run a 5K race, paint murals on the walls of our school, and more! | What are some strategies you use to keep your work and life balanced? I'm still working on this...although I feel I've gotten much better about at least putting my computer away when I'm at home with my family. What piece of advice would you give a new principal OR what piece of advice have you gotten that has been most useful? You are a work-in-progress and a masterpiece at the same damn time. --Jess Sims, Peloton Instructor How many years have you been a principal? This is my 7th year. |
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How and why did you become a principal? Being an Elementary Principal was not something I would have said was in my future when I began teaching. My teaching background was as a middle school Social Studies in a suburb of St. Paul. I always thought I would want to work with high school aged students. I didn't have a specific moment that helped me decide to pursue the Principalship, but I knew I wanted to be able to have a bigger impact on education systems and teaching and learning. Once I began taking my administrative coursework, I had the chance to work with some amazing elementary school teachers and administrators. Through their passion and joy, I found that I really wanted to work with elementary-aged kids. What are you most proud of in your work? I am very proud of the positive learning environment our school has created and maintained. I often hear from visitors and new staff how happy the people in our school are. I don't remember ever seeing my principals out and about or engaging with kids when I was a student. As a principal, I don't think I've gone an entire day without getting a hug from a student. The relationship between students and principals seems to have been a paradigm shift, and I'm really proud of the connections I've been able to build with students and families. What's something that's had success in your school that you think other principals could borrow? Our staff are really visible and present in the morning when students arrive. We've asked our support staff to arrive 15 minutes earlier than they're scheduled, which is paid, so that we can increase supervision and interactions with students. This has lead to a calm start to the day, but also provides more opportunities for students to interact with adults in the school. I think it's helped to foster a sense of "our students" as the kids sometimes connect with staff who they don't typically see during the day. | What are some strategies you use to keep your work and life balanced? My wife and I communicate often about the seasonal changes and busyness of school. I try to plan which days I am going in early or staying late. This helps me stay in charge of my schedule and take a proactive approach instead of a reactive one. The BEST thing I have done is take my work email off my personal cell phone. This simple move increased my personal happiness right away. Finally, I try to model work life balance to my staff. I (mostly) do not send emails before 7am or after 5pm to staff. I utilize the "Schedule Send" feature in Gmail to get messages sent out, but I really do not want to bother my staff in the evenings or on the weekends when they should be enjoying their family time. What piece of advice would you give a new principal OR what piece of advice have you gotten that has been most useful? There are so many. I think one of the things that can be a challenge for teachers or administrators is working with upset parents. The best advice I have gotten in regards to this is: Parents who are upset usually fall into one of two camps. The first is they are concerned about their child's safety. The second is they are concerned about their child's happiness. If you can figure out which of the two the parent is concerned about, you can start to empathize with them and begin to work towards solutions. How many years have you been a principal? I have been in administration for 9 years. I have been a Principal for 4 years and I was an Elementary Assistant Principal for 5 years before that. |
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How and why did you become a principal? My dad was an elementary school principal when I was a kid, and he always told me that service to our community was what kept him going. When I became an educator 20+ years ago, my dad kept prompting me to continue my education and serve as a principal. While the role has changed a lot since my dad led schools in the '70s and '80s, it's a privilege and responsibility that I am proud to continue. What are you most proud of in your work? I am fortunate to work with teachers who work collaboratively and use effective PLC protocols to strengthen our K-5 literacy interventions and 3-5 writing procedures. I continually see evidence of teachers gaining confidence and skill as they work with their colleagues. What's something that's had success in your school that you think other principals could borrow? We have already started finding ways to implement the Science of Reading practices into our PLC conversations. Fortunately, much of the research and practices have validated our current practices, and they have rekindled good conversations with our interventionists, special education staff, and general education staff about how we understand and respond to student reading and literacy in our K-5 classrooms. We have also examined our scope and sequence for teaching literacy skills in science and social studies. | What are some strategies you use to keep your work and life balanced? My wife and I have three children still in school, so as an educator, the work-life line gets blurred. I'm always asking questions to our kids about their experiences in school: who's using a flipped-classroom model, how visible the principal is during the day, how they keep notes and organize learning, what they talk about in advisory, the focus and process of their classroom discussions, etc. I'm always interested in knowing how the decisions and implementations that we make affect our students and how they view this place called school. On a more practical level, I do my best to avoid my smartphone after 6PM. I do my best, with the support of my colleagues, to avoid communications when we should be focused on our own families. What piece of advice would you give a new principal OR what piece of advice have you gotten that has been most useful? Listen to and value the insights of your teachers and school community. It worked for my dad 50 years ago, and it still holds true today. How many years have you been a principal? 6 years |
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How and why did you become a principal? Similar to Brittnei (featured in February), I went to Concordia College for Accounting. I then switched to Business Education in order to get my degree in Secondary Education. Then, between my sophomore and junior years, my dad (who was Superintendent for 30+ years mostly in Red Lake Falls, MN and Park River, ND) said, "You seem to really click with elementary students...have you thought about being an elementary teacher?" So, midstream, I switched again and haven't regretted it. As far as becoming a principal, one of my fellow classmates at Concordia told he me was going to pursue the principal role eventually and I thought that would fit my persona and personal goals as well. My first principal role was a Teaching-Principal where I taught Grade 4 half the day and was principal the the half. What are you most proud of in your work? I've had the privilege of having experience in a variety of school settings in ND and MN. I've been principal of a building with 130 students with 75% poverty and have been in another building of 700 students with 13% poverty. I've also had the opportunity to do other positions while being an elementary principal: Teacher Center Director (think Professional Development), Activities Director (also serving as Asst. Prin. to some degree at the high school level), Assistant Principal at the Middle School, AdvancED School Improvement Chair, and now I'm also the Federal Programs Coordinator for Duluth Public Schools. With Federal Programs I would have never learned the nuances of Title I, II, III, IV and working with our Residential Schools (Title ID), Non-publics, and MDE. Our team also does the homeschooling organization for the district. I guess the one thing I'm most proud of is all the experience I've gained in working with a variety of people and programs. My current supervisor said it best in that I work in both worlds: the elementary principalship and district office (Federal Programs). What's something that's had success in your school that you think other principals could borrow? Probably the most successful program/system was incorporating the Success for All program in one of my schools. That was a whole systems change within our school that would be too long to explain in this format. Here is something more simple: Early Outs. When I was a younger principal and staff would come to me saying, "Can I leave for this?" or "Can I leave for that?" I would always try to decipher the "why" the staff person wanted to leave early so I would say "yes, you can leave for your child's hockey game" but "no, you can't leave early for a hair appointment." So, I instituted "early outs" which means staff can leave after the kids are gone as long as: 1) They don't abuse the number of days (none of them have); 2) They let myself and the secretary know (THEY DON'T have to give us a reason); 3) They can't take an early out during a day where there is a meeting after school. After instituting this process I don't have to decipher between who I let leave or not; they can just go as long as they follow the guidelines. This has made my prinicpal life much easier...wish I would have done this 25 years ago!!! | What are some strategies you use to keep your work and life balanced? When I got married I told my wife, "I officiate sports." She replied, "What does that mean?" After a couple years of marriage, she said, "Oh, this is what it means!" I officiate college college/high school football and basketball and high school volleyball. Often this takes me away from my family until 9 PM many nights, but it is part of "who I am." My wife knows this about me, and has continued to "let me be me" in this realm. I also dabble in the musical world as the past couple of years I've played Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys and Franklin Hart in 9 to 5. In saying all of this, we all need something outside of work that we love to do or are passionate about. I love the fact that I have work friends, sports/officiating friends, and musical friends. What a great balance of eclectic people in my life; I'm so fortunate! On another note, as I've gotten older I've realized that staying at the school until late at night isn't necessarily conducive for a productive day tomorrow so I'm ok with not being the last one at the school each night! In fact, I sometimes tell my teachers, "Go home...tomorrow's another day." What piece of advice would you give a new principal OR what piece of advice have you gotten that has been most useful? After being a principal for 20+ years the first thing I would say is that I've made plenty of mistakes such as saying something I shouldn't have said, reacting with emotion, not understanding another's point of view well enough, or not following through on something. It is getting more evident that we have to calculate everything we say and do because although some things said or done are unintended, the perception of the other person or people does matter. I think it imperative in our positions to think things through and get input when needed. Also, another piece of advice is learn to navigate the mandates of MDE and implement the directives from the district office, BUT support your staff in the process as much as possible because those are the people you work most closely with on a daily basis. How many years have you been a principal? 25 |