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TEPSA AP of the Year Award Speech

I am currently in my 3rd year as an Elementary Assistant Principal, I am often asked What is


your favorite part about being at an elementary school?
You see my journey may be a little different than most. I taught high school, been a high
school counselor, coordinated a Teen Parenting program and served as a District Curriculum
Coordinator for Career & Tech.. all before becoming an Assistant Principal. I realized through
all of these roles that I missed the energy of a campus and I missed the kids. After being an
educator for 15 years, I pursued my Principals certification and became an AP at an
Intermediate school before making it back to the start, where it all begins, the elementary
school. Coming from secondary, with a goal to move to elementary, was challenging. Some of
us are geared to work with a specific age or content area, My personal goal has been to work
directly with all kids, K 12 before I retire.
Travel with me, if you will, back to the beginning of my journey. I was lucky to get hired into
my first teaching job by Katy ISD, the district where I attended school from kindergarten to
graduation. I was inspired by many great teachers over the years and a love for education just
really stuck with me. My dream to become a teacher started at a young age actually it was
first documented in 2nd grade. While later working in the district as a counselor, I received an
invitation to a retirement party for my second grade teacher, Mrs. Gordon. Although I had
several favorites, from every level, Mrs. Gordon was in the top 5! When I attended her
retirement party, she had kept a class book for every year that she had taught. In each book
she had saved precious work for each student. In the book from my class, I found this
assignment. You may not be able to see this from where you are seated but it is clearly an
incredible self-portrait that includes a writing assignment. It says Someday I will be a school
teacher. I will make the children do their work and then we will do fun things! Although I did
not remember creating this masterpiece, it has become quite the personal treasure for me as
an educator. It has encouraged me and comforted me through emotional days, tough
decisions, as well as celebrations and new experiences! It keeps me focused on the important
things the kids. And havent we come a long way in education? Today we can learn and have
fun all at the same time!
But back to the original question.. What is my favorite part about being at an elementary
school? Well, my favorite part of working at Hewitt Elementary is our ongoing theme of
kindness. But my favorite part of working at the elementary level in general? Hands down
its the hugs.

At the knee or around the neck - they come outta nowhere at school, from behind, getting
out of cars in the morning and at dismissal. At the grocery store, at church and even from the
5 year old that was screaming and throwing a fit just minutes before. Sometimes, these hugs
come just at the right moment, totally unknown by the child that he or she had perfect timing!
These little hugs serve as reminders that re-energize my day, help me look forward to the next
and keep me focused on why we do, what we do.
Because what we do. it matters. You see, coming from the secondary level, I feel like I have a
unique perspective. Although I have experienced some incredible things at the secondary
level, I have also witnessed desperate situations met by untimely choices that ended in
pregnancy, drug addiction, truancy and even suicide.
While secondary students have their own unique set of needs, the level of impact working
with this student group is different. In K-6, we have the privilege of impacting them from the
start, the very first day of their first year of school! We get to develop their love for learning,
fuel their excitement for school, ignite their passion for discovery, and provide a safe place and
even a meal that many of them may only get with us.
Let me share with you a story of a student who showed me what it means to make a
difference. My first year at Hewitt Elementary, before the first day of school I had already
been warned about one particular student lets call him Johnny. Johnny had attended Pre-K
at Hewitt and was starting Kindergarten when I arrived. Johnny was the oldest of three and
had a father who had been in an accident and suffered from brain damage. Johnnys mom
couldnt work because she wasnt able to leave the youngest two siblings in the fathers care,
therefore finances were difficult at best. Johnny had ADHD and some learning difficulties
but he also had a hug and a smile that could light up a room and especially my heart. After
working with Johnny for a short time, we noticed inconsistencies in him receiving his
medication at home that was effecting his learning at school. We offered for Johnny to take his
medicine at school so that we could make sure he had it daily. In doing this, it made for an
interesting and often difficult start to most school days. We decided to alter his morning
schedule so that he ate breakfast right away and took his medicine as early as possible upon
arrival. It needed about 30 minutes to take effect. We wanted to keep Johnny out of his
classroom during this time so that the learning environment for the other students was not
disrupted. Instead of going straight to class, we provided some tiered intervention in the
computer lab, one on one. The teacher worked with Johnny on letter and sound recognition,
numbers, shapes and writing his name. After about 30 minutes, Johnny went on to his

classroom with the other students. We also created a behavior plan with positive behavior
rewards and consistent consequences.
Johnny often told me that there was a good Johnny AND a bad Johnny but lucky for me,
BOTH Johnnys loved the Heart of Texas Fair, and it just so happened that The Fair was my
husbands job. He was over the livestock show, rodeo, carnival, attractions and entertainment.
I was able to incorporate some Fair tickets into a long range behavior goal for Johnny. A couple
of times, when Johnny was having a great day, we even got to call the Fair aka my husband. I
am not sure I have ever seen a child so excited!
Johnnys teacher, along with myself, the Principal, the Counselor, the Nurse, front office ladies
and assistants in the building worked to build a relationship with him!
Johnny was full of personality and although difficult to manage, he was easy to love which is
exactly what he needed to be ready to learn! In our business, we have to meet students where
they are, reach their hearts so that we can teach their minds. We have to get creative find
ways to connect! For one of our kids, his reward was to put on some Top 40 music in the office
and show us his latest dance moves for 3 minutes. For another child (that is obsessed with
vacuums) we got him one in need of repair from the maintenance department and he is
working on it with his mentor. For another, it is 5 minutes at the end of the day to be a helper
to her Kindergarten teacher. And one sweet girl, that just needed some self-confidence, she is
our technical director for the live morning announcements each day!
Students come to us from a variety of backgrounds: from the affluent, to the homeless,
knowing how to read and never attending pre-school. Some have flown on airplanes, some
have never seen one. Some speak in complete sentences, some have little or no vocabulary.
Some come from stable families and some are being raised by an aunt because dads not
around and mom is in prison. These circumstances are out of our control, but the 8 hours a
day that they are OURS we get to design!
As Assistant Principals, we may not be on the front lines in the classroom anymore, but we are
on the front lines for many stakeholders, including our teachers. Most teachers today are tired
and often overwhelmed. I will be the first to say that the demands of teachers are much
greater today than when I was in the classroom just 12 years ago. Our job is a balancing act.
We should absolutely have high expectations, set goals, provide feedback and even tackle
hard conversations when needed, but HOW we accomplish these things is critical. We MUST
be encouragers, cheerleaders and good listeners. We must model treating others with
kindness and respect, personal goal-setting, growth mind-set, data analysis and new
instructional strategies and technology.

So I finish my story about Johnny. After some behavioral testing, we determined that Johnny
had issues so significant that our school wasnt the best placement for him. He moved to a
neighboring school within our district a few minutes away. I worked with his teacher to serve
as a positive reward for him within his behavior plan. One of his rewards was getting to have
lunch with me. It was fun going to his new campus, eating lunch with him on occasion and
seeing his progress in a program designed to meet his needs. Before the end of the year,
Johnnys mother found some medical care for his father that required them to move out of
town. She brought him to see us before they moved. I got one last hug that came with a few
tears! You see Johnny is one that had more cards stacked against him than for him. He had the
potential to be a success, but without the right support, he could be one that slips through the
cracks. I only hope that wherever he ended up, they found the good Johnny that brought us
joy and laughter at Hewitt Elementary.
I am honored and humbled to be selected at the TEPSA Assistant Principal of the year. I am
just a little farm girl from Katy, Texas who has been lucky enough to have some wonderful
mentors along the way that have guided my steps, challenged my thinking and encouraged me
to be my best!
So my challenge to you is this. FIND the good in your most difficult students. BE the
inspiration that your teachers need. In difficult situations, try to always consider the other
perspective. Set your own personal goals for growth so that you model what you expect.
and ALWAYS choose kindness.

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