Stepping into Leadership

"Up the Stairs to School" by Michael Coghlan on Flickr

After six years of teaching FACS and Gifted Education which allowed me the opportunity to serve students K-12, I was asked if I would consider moving into K-12 Administration. 

My small school of Copeland was also going through changes and we were about to enter into a “sharing agreement” with Montezuma, a town 12 miles down the road.  This agreement still stands today and has been, in my opinion, an excellent example of a partnership of two communities and two school districts working together for the good of their students. 

By moving into administration, I became a K-12 Building Leader with my office in the high school building in Montezuma.  The thought of being able to support the change for the Copeland students into this new situation was as much of a draw to my decision to move into administration as anything.  Being a “Copeland” person situated in the town of Montezuma, my hope was that I could contribute to overcoming any barriers in the shift that would surely arise.  Thus, back to school l went. 

I completed requirements for a K-12 Building Leader endorsement and ultimately gained my District Leader certification during my time as South Gray Building Leader. As anyone who has been an administrator in a small district knows, you learn all aspects of running the school - transportation, activities director, food service, scheduling, hiring, plans of assistance, working with boards of education, negotiations, and on and on.  This was an invaluable learning time in my time in education.  

You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.

--Maya Angelou