Leadership Vision
In Practice
As a result of experience, I have developed and refined a very clear leadership style. My leadership vision is built on a foundation of positive school culture, which, for me, includes recognizing the small, daily accomplishments of staff members. I intentionally put effort in to recognizing and appreciating the actions that our staff show that ultimately, help our students. When our teachers submit quality work ahead of a deadline, I hand-write a thank-you note and place it on their door. When our teachers speak gently to a student in crisis, I let them know that I noticed. When our teachers are stressed and overwhelmed and wondering when they will ever get to eat, take a bathroom break, or go to sleep at night, I encourage them to remember that their well-being is more important than any deadline. Our staff know that they can come to me with an open and honest admission about a mistake that they made, or a question that they have. My leadership vision is one without a hierarchy, with everyone on board and headed in the same direction. My leadership vision is one in which motivation, appreciation and the resultant self-development that arises from these foci are tantamount to all other factors. Recently, the staff in my building described me as “reliable”, “easy to talk to”, “inspiring”, “motivational”, “practical” and “efficient”. As a school leader, I will directly promote the success of every student by developing relationships with every child, by knowing every child by name, by keeping my door open to the school community both metaphorically and physically, and by simply listening with an open heart. As a Principal, I will directly and indirectly promote the success of every student by acting a resource to the staff. I will encourage and support staff members in their pursuit of solving problems through professional development, self-reflection and student data analysis. I will continue to support staff through building and maintaining a culture that values relationship-building and practices empathy in response to challenges presented by students and their families through modeling, encouragement and humor. To me, “to lead” means to open hearts and minds. Although that might mean something different in various settings and contexts, that is my ultimate goal as a leader.
I have always been a leader in education, even though, at times, I tried to ignore the voice in the back of my mind saying so.
Sure, the roles have changed through the years from a student government leader in junior high school, high school and undergraduate years to joining a community leadership team, alumni council and formally, a school district special education administration team. However, one thing has remained constant, and that is my drive to inspire, inform and challenge those around me to contribute to the common good.
My initial major selection in my undergraduate program was education, however, I was deterred due to the climate of education and the treatment of the education profession, and instead chose to follow my interests to psychology and research. After graduating, my natural inclinations took me back to education where I enjoy mixing my passion for the common good through public service with an intense interest in human behavior. My passion for education leadership is anchored by a drive to be the best school leader that I can be, to be a beacon of hope for my staff and for our students.
Outside of my profession, I compete daily against a serious case of wanderlust. I travel to free myself of the constraints of routine and stagnation, which motivates me to always keep an open mind and to be prepared to be flexible and creative. My recent travels include hiking the Inca Trail in the Peruvian Andes, hiking the Laugavegur in Iceland, backpacking through European Christmas Markets and climbing volcanoes in the jungles of Costa Rica practicing my Spanish language skills. I adhere to a "work hard, play hard" mentality that is my driving force behind a relentless focus on both professional and personal achievements. When I'm not accruing frequent flier miles, I can be found working, studying, reading, hiking, kayaking or cycling in the local area.