I must write a biography as a MAESP Distinguished Principal
Honoree. Of course I have writer's block and the biography is due on January
8th. I thought if I blogged about it, it might come easier. So bear with me and
thanks for your help! :)
Who is Amy Casey as a leader? What do I want the world to know
about me? The following are things I find myself saying to others on a regular
basis. Maybe if I explore these sayings with you, I can introduce you to Dr.
Amy Casey.
"Be present. Love your people. Seek
first to understand and then to be understood. Be the change you wish to see.
Celebrate diversity. Embrace a growth mindset and the power of 'yet.' Have an
attitude of gratitude. If we can't live it, it is difficult to teach it. Give
110%."
Be present ~
If you walk into my school, you might find that I am the
"gingerbread woman." Catch me if you can. I do my best to be in the
trenches. My absolute favorite thing to do as a principal is to be in
classrooms observing how what we have been working on in professional
development time comes to life with our students. I love conferring with
students and asking them, "what did your teacher teach you today?"
There is nothing better than hearing the student responses that are a tell-tale
sign of the incredible teaching and learning taking place daily.
I want to be there during difficult times to support my staff. I
want them to know that they are not alone and that we are in this together.
When my teachers lose faith and feel they can't do something, I want them to
know that they can, and I believe in them. I want to support my teachers and
grow them as leaders.
I want my students to know me. From "good morning"
greetings, to classroom visits and lunches with students, or crazy dances in
the hallways, to lots and lots of hugs, Dr. Casey is here. She is here when you
need that hug, she is here when you celebrate your academic growth, she is here
when you are so overwhelmed with life and unable to control your emotions. She
is here. She is present.
Love your people ~
I love my school and my people. And yes, I tell
them that. I tell teachers that I love them. I tell students that I love them.
Because I do. And this love is not a fluffy, surface level, "puppies and
rainbows" kind of love. This love is the kind that holds people
accountable, while lifting them up…not tearing them down. This love is the kind
of love that says, "you may not have gotten it today, but I believe you
will get it tomorrow." This love is the kind of love that says, "I am
not looking for perfection, but I am looking for the best you can do."
This is the kind of love that nudges people to fulfill their potential rather
than pushing them over the edge.
Indeed, love is patient and kind. It is not rude or arrogant. It does not insist on its own way. While I have not reached mastery in this endeavor, it is how I strive to lead. I am a human being and on occasion that humanness just comes right on out. However, when I have done my best to lead from this place of love and have a human slip up, I find that my staff and students are much more inclined to forgive me. In love. Because what goes around…comes around.
This love that I have for my learning community
is all about connection. I feel connected to my staff, students and family.
They are my "village," my "tribe," my
"family."
My top two "rules" as a principal are - 1)
Be nice to kids. 2) Be nice to each other. This is how we begin to show our
love for our people.
Seek first to understand and then be understood ~
People have different ways of seeing things and
that is ok. But if we are constantly trying to make our way known, we aren't
really listening. We are exercising a fixed mindset, rather than a growth mindset. If
we are constantly trying to defend our point of view as the "correct"
way, we have closed ourselves off from others and have closed opportunities to
grow together. We put a wedge between us. Some of my best ideas weren't my
ideas at all! They came to me from listening and trying to understand others'
points of view.
I have also found that as I am willing to listen to others first,
and truly embrace what they are saying, they are more likely to reciprocate.
This is the stuff that true Professional Learning Communities are made
of.
Be the change you wish to see ~
This is huge. If I don't like the way things are going, as a
leader, I must take a look at myself. I am a mirror of those I lead. Are my
teachers completely stressed out and overloaded? What have I done to cause
that? Am I giving off stressful energy? Am I expecting them to be all zen when
I am a mess? Then it is up to me to make that change in myself, first.
If I want others to be inspired, then I must be that inspiration.
If I want others to be innovative, then I must be innovative. If I want others
to be committed to our work, they must see my commitment. If I want our
students to see adults who look like them at school, then I must be committed
to diverse hiring practices. If I want staff to remain calm when students are
dealing with trauma in their lives and are acting out, then I must remain calm
and understanding.
This is my greatest responsibility as a leader. I must be the change.
Celebrate diversity ~
Not embrace. Not tolerate. Celebrate. I see myself as a champion
for diversity, social justice and equity. Diversity encompasses race, gender,
abilities, religion, sexual orientation, age and thought. How boring would it
be if you went to color a picture and every crayon was the same color? It would
be very difficult to create a picture of a sunset. How boring would it be if
everyone thought exactly like you? There would be nothing to discuss. However,
because some people are a certain color, a certain gender, a certain religion,
etc., they experience advantages and privileges that others do not. This gets
in the way of an equitable education for ALL students. It has been my life's
mission to ensure equitable education for ALL of my students. But that begins
with the attitudes and beliefs of the adults who work with our diverse
students. Want to know more? Here is a link to my dissertation.
Embrace a growth mindset and the power of 'yet' ~
If you believe you can, you will. If you believe you can't, you
won't. This is how powerful our mindset is! Before all the buzz of growth
mindset came along, I was pretty sure I learned the most from my biggest
mistakes, and there were no wasted life experiences. Now we have research to
back this up! We actually learn more from our mistakes than we do from getting
a "right" answer. It is not that I am not good at division...I am
just not good at division, YET! Perseverance and embracing the "power of
yet" are vital skills for us to teach our students if we want them to be
successful. And not just for them to be successful academically, but successful
in all areas of their lives.
Have an attitude of gratitude ~
Have you ever been around a person that complains about
everything? It just sucks the life out of me. It is very difficult to move
forward in a productive manner when people are grumpy and negative about
everything. To the best of my ability, I try to find the positive in every
circumstance. It doesn't mean that horrible and sad things do not happen, and
that you shouldn't feel the emotions of being sad or angry at injustices. But
how long do you stay in that place? Can you shift your attitude to think about
the things you are grateful for? (This takes me back to being the change you
wish to see...) See how much better that feels than being in a perpetual state
of complaining?!
If we can't live it, it is difficult to teach it ~
This feels a little bit like "Be the change you wish to
see." But it is more than that. When I decided that I was going to pursue
becoming a principal, I had been a music teacher for 12 years. The reason I
wanted to become a principal was because there were things happening in education
that I wanted to change. I was not able to to make those changes as a teacher.
I needed to be in a position where I could make those changes possible.
I had experienced a successful career as a music teacher, but I
realized I didn't truly understand what general education classroom teachers
faced on a regular basis. How could I lead as a principal if I didn't truly
understand the challenges of my staff? I was actually advised that it didn't
matter. I was told I had strong leadership skills and that I would make a fine
leader. That was not good enough for me. I felt that if I was going to be a
good leader, I needed to understand what faced the people I was leading. I
needed to walk in their shoes. So I became certified to teach elementary First
through Sixth grade. I ended up teaching 5th grade for a year before I became
an assistant principal. This was one of the best decisions I made as an
educator. It gave me such insight that I never would have had, had I not
pursued this!
This happened again when I was given my first principalship and
had to oversee district special education self-contained programs in my
building. I did not have a lot of experience with more intense special needs. I
reached out to our special education director and asked him to send me to
trainings and help me to be a better special education leader. Another great
decision I have made as an educator.
This comes to play in our teaching as well. If we want to teach
our students how to be better writers, we need to have a writing life. If we
want them to be better readers, we need to share from our reading life. If we
want to help them become better mathematicians, are we utilizing the 8
mathematical practices in our own lives? It feels hypocritical if we are not.
How can we ask others to do something we are not willing to do? This is
why doing our own assignments before asking students to do them is such a
powerful practice. 1) We have walked down the road before them. 2) Our
metacognition about our own experience will be helpful as we understand the
mental path we took to understand the concept. 3) We can anticipate mistakes
and misunderstandings that might occur with our students. This practice of
"living it before we teach it" makes for powerful and authentic
learning experiences for our students and staff alike.
Give 110% ~
I realize this is mathematically impossible. My point is, always
give your very best at everything you do. Show up. Get it done. Persevere. It
works better if you are having fun. Love the thing you do, or don't do it. Or
if you must do it, at least pretend to love it. (Stop complaining and see
"have an attitude of gratitude.")
So there you have it ~
This is my essence. I have
accomplished several things along the way, such as presenting at numerous conferences,
serving on a number district committees, getting my Ph.D., while being a wife
and a mother, a bandmate and a Pound instructor. But I don't know that
people will remember any of those things. I do know that my people will
remember how I made them feel. And I hope you have left your encounters with me
feeling valued, loved and cared for. Now please pass it on.
