Episode 44: Why Will the INTERVIEW Committee Choose You? | The SECRET to Becoming a School Leader

Yeah, I would say those that are thinking about advancing themselves and becoming a middle school leader, which I've spent all but maybe two years of my entire career in middle school, I would say really accept the fact that we say we're middle school people.

We don't have the young ones.

We don't have the ones that are about to head off to college.

We are right in the middle.

And really think about what does that, What do you want as a school leader that two year or three year middle school experience to look like to feel like for parents, because how how parents how students experience school is different at each stage at each stage.

Yeah.

And so when you have the high schoolers, your conversations are about the future and college or entering a career.

When you have the elementary students, it's more about nurturing and step by step and bringing you along.

But in middle school, those conversations are vastly different.

And so really think about what does the middle school experience look like? And for me personally, When I was pursuing my first AP job, I thought about I want to make the middle school experience for students.

I want it to be hands on and exploration.

And so everything leading up to me pursuing my first middle school position as an assistant, I was thinking about student engagement, student engagement, student organizations.

And how can I make that middle school experience a true learning experience inside and outside the classroom.

Yeah, yeah.

So along your school journey, kind of some of the things that you've spoken about already, what made you get into school leadership in the first place, right? You were a teacher at some point, but you did have this idea of being a leader.

What was that like for you? What made you make that leap? Because when I speak to aspiring leaders, sometimes they don't know if it's the right time or they really love the classroom so much that they don't wanna take that leap of faith and actually try to be a school leader or they actually want to, but they just don't know how.

So what are some of the reasons, what made you become a school leader?

Yeah, I would say those that are thinking about advancing themselves and becoming a middle school leader, which I've spent all but maybe two years of my entire career in middle school, I would say really accept the fact that we say we're middle school people.

We don't have the young ones.

We don't have the ones that are about to head off to college.

We are right in the middle.

And really think about what does that, What do you want as a school leader that two year or three year middle school experience to look like to feel like for parents, because how how parents how students experience school is different at each stage at each stage.

Yeah.

And so when you have the high schoolers, your conversations are about the future and college or entering a career.

When you have the elementary students, it's more about nurturing and step by step and bringing you along.

But in middle school, those conversations are vastly different.

And so really think about what does the middle school experience look like? And for me personally, When I was pursuing my first AP job, I thought about I want to make the middle school experience for students.

I want it to be hands on and exploration.

And so everything leading up to me pursuing my first middle school position as an assistant, I was thinking about student engagement, student engagement, student organizations.

And how can I make that middle school experience a true learning experience inside and outside the classroom.

Yeah, yeah.

So along your school journey, kind of some of the things that you've spoken about already, what made you get into school leadership in the first place, right? You were a teacher at some point, but you did have this idea of being a leader.

What was that like for you? What made you make that leap? Because when I speak to aspiring leaders, sometimes they don't know if it's the right time or they really love the classroom so much that they don't wanna take that leap of faith and actually try to be a school leader or they actually want to, but they just don't know how.

So what are some of the reasons, what made you become a school leader?