My Leadership Philosophy
An effective 21st century school leader is smart, perceptive, and strategic. An effective leader takes pride in being a good listener and communicator. A school leader should be a lead learner, consistently looking to grow, change, and increase their efficacy. A leader should be a global thinker with intercultural curiosity, and they should welcome and celebrate those who are different from themselves. A school leader leads by example, and their staff is empowered by the collaborative decisions that are made. I’m the enthusiastic leader that you need for your school.
I’m a smart leader. I’m driven by staff and student feedback, and by research-based instructional practices. I am motivated by the successes of others, and I learn quickly from others’ innovation. I am a pragmatic educator who has been motivated to choose the role of school leader because of my love of collaborative problem solving in educational systems change, and my belief that effective schools build thriving communities and change lives.
As a leader, I have a positive growth mindset and I am invigorated by challenge and change. I am learn about the culture of a school before methodically building a coalition for change. My coaching and support contribute to sustainable change that benefits all learners. Incremental changes to instruction, and exposure to new learning paves the way to instructional practices that are authentic to each teacher and meet the needs of every learner. I’m a connected and supportive leader who is a positive cheerleader for change. I trust in the expertise of educators, and I lift up their work where it is effective, and I coach where it can be stronger.
I’m broad-minded, and a creative problem-solver. While an undergraduate student, I volunteered with survivors of domestic and sexual assault, and in underserved communities. Those experiences instilled a passion for equity and a strong sense of justice. My US Peace Corps work in Nicaragua showed me the reality of living as a minority in a developing country that wasn’t my own. My experiences in St. Paul Public Schools as a student teacher and substitute teacher brought reality, grit, and toughness to my understanding of urban education. More recently, I’ve used my skills to forge connected relationships in the small, rural community where I serve as a school leader. I constantly strive to strengthen my intercultural competence, and I use it as a driver to improve equity and access in educational systems.
I’m knowledgeable about educational and leadership theory, and I’m a genuine communicator. I have a positive growth mindset, and am invigorated by challenge and change. I can connect, inspire, and support teachers. I maintain a humble curiosity and drive to improve my intercultural understanding. I am an advocate that can improve access for students and families of color and of lower socioeconomic status. All students and teachers deserve these characteristics in their school leader. I am excited to serve.
An effective 21st century school leader is smart, perceptive, and strategic. An effective leader takes pride in being a good listener and communicator. A school leader should be a lead learner, consistently looking to grow, change, and increase their efficacy. A leader should be a global thinker with intercultural curiosity, and they should welcome and celebrate those who are different from themselves. A school leader leads by example, and their staff is empowered by the collaborative decisions that are made. I’m the enthusiastic leader that you need for your school.
I’m a smart leader. I’m driven by staff and student feedback, and by research-based instructional practices. I am motivated by the successes of others, and I learn quickly from others’ innovation. I am a pragmatic educator who has been motivated to choose the role of school leader because of my love of collaborative problem solving in educational systems change, and my belief that effective schools build thriving communities and change lives.
As a leader, I have a positive growth mindset and I am invigorated by challenge and change. I am learn about the culture of a school before methodically building a coalition for change. My coaching and support contribute to sustainable change that benefits all learners. Incremental changes to instruction, and exposure to new learning paves the way to instructional practices that are authentic to each teacher and meet the needs of every learner. I’m a connected and supportive leader who is a positive cheerleader for change. I trust in the expertise of educators, and I lift up their work where it is effective, and I coach where it can be stronger.
I’m broad-minded, and a creative problem-solver. While an undergraduate student, I volunteered with survivors of domestic and sexual assault, and in underserved communities. Those experiences instilled a passion for equity and a strong sense of justice. My US Peace Corps work in Nicaragua showed me the reality of living as a minority in a developing country that wasn’t my own. My experiences in St. Paul Public Schools as a student teacher and substitute teacher brought reality, grit, and toughness to my understanding of urban education. More recently, I’ve used my skills to forge connected relationships in the small, rural community where I serve as a school leader. I constantly strive to strengthen my intercultural competence, and I use it as a driver to improve equity and access in educational systems.
I’m knowledgeable about educational and leadership theory, and I’m a genuine communicator. I have a positive growth mindset, and am invigorated by challenge and change. I can connect, inspire, and support teachers. I maintain a humble curiosity and drive to improve my intercultural understanding. I am an advocate that can improve access for students and families of color and of lower socioeconomic status. All students and teachers deserve these characteristics in their school leader. I am excited to serve.
My Educational Philosophy
If the rules for a society are taught in schools, why not take the opportunity to help teach our children how to be an active part in forming a better society.
Imagine a school where students work in flexible, mixed-ability small groups on projects or lessons in which they are passionately interested, without realizing exactly what “subjects” in which they are working. The teacher rotates between groups of students, asking them questions that focus their learning, offering them suggestions of other new resources. Each morning there are class meetings where students and their teacher practice listening and questioning skills, building competence in conversational and relational skills alongside academic content. This is what I want my school to look like to a visitor.
Teachers make time to nurture their learners when they are a part of a collegial community that values their efforts, recognizes their hard-work, and celebrates their risk-taking on behalf of their service to their students and the community. Students experience academic success when they know that success is expected of them. I believe that every child can learn, and it is my responsibility as a leader to help teachers decode how each of our students learn best; to provide the environment and the opportunities for each both teachers and students to experience motivating success.
I believe that in-school success has everything to do with the family's relationship with the school and the teachers, and with their educational expectations and aspirations for their children. As a school leader, I am consistently in contact with my students' families. I share monthly updates with families via virtual newsletters. Having a positive attitude about school, being a student in an advanced degree program or GED program are terrific examples of ways that parents can positively model their love of learning, and impact the attitudes their children develop about learning. These things are just as important, if not more important, to the education of their children, than the lessons that the children learn in school.
The best leaders that I have had in my life were the people that helped provide the ingredients for success, and then sat back and watched as I strove toward it. They were always helpful, supportive, but never enabling. I am a resource and reference for my staff’s learning. I am the architect of a community where all learners feel safe to take risks, and feel valued as an essential part of a learning community.
As is evident, I don't take my role as an educational leader lightly. I know that the education that students take with them out through the doors of a school, their ability to understand themselves, relate to others, problem-solve, and live in society, will be carried with them for their entire lives. Today, I am excited to be an educator.
If the rules for a society are taught in schools, why not take the opportunity to help teach our children how to be an active part in forming a better society.
Imagine a school where students work in flexible, mixed-ability small groups on projects or lessons in which they are passionately interested, without realizing exactly what “subjects” in which they are working. The teacher rotates between groups of students, asking them questions that focus their learning, offering them suggestions of other new resources. Each morning there are class meetings where students and their teacher practice listening and questioning skills, building competence in conversational and relational skills alongside academic content. This is what I want my school to look like to a visitor.
Teachers make time to nurture their learners when they are a part of a collegial community that values their efforts, recognizes their hard-work, and celebrates their risk-taking on behalf of their service to their students and the community. Students experience academic success when they know that success is expected of them. I believe that every child can learn, and it is my responsibility as a leader to help teachers decode how each of our students learn best; to provide the environment and the opportunities for each both teachers and students to experience motivating success.
I believe that in-school success has everything to do with the family's relationship with the school and the teachers, and with their educational expectations and aspirations for their children. As a school leader, I am consistently in contact with my students' families. I share monthly updates with families via virtual newsletters. Having a positive attitude about school, being a student in an advanced degree program or GED program are terrific examples of ways that parents can positively model their love of learning, and impact the attitudes their children develop about learning. These things are just as important, if not more important, to the education of their children, than the lessons that the children learn in school.
The best leaders that I have had in my life were the people that helped provide the ingredients for success, and then sat back and watched as I strove toward it. They were always helpful, supportive, but never enabling. I am a resource and reference for my staff’s learning. I am the architect of a community where all learners feel safe to take risks, and feel valued as an essential part of a learning community.
As is evident, I don't take my role as an educational leader lightly. I know that the education that students take with them out through the doors of a school, their ability to understand themselves, relate to others, problem-solve, and live in society, will be carried with them for their entire lives. Today, I am excited to be an educator.