Her Story
About Jade
I have been in education for 12 years now, and my main area of expertise is school turnaround - working on turnaround initiatives to make schools better and improve them. A typical day for me involves greeting students, being visible and present, and working alongside teachers and other administrators to ensure there is a positive and productive learning environment built upon equity and meeting each individual child's needs. We work together as a community to improve reading and math, and since I work with elementary school students, our goal is to make our buildings the happiest place on Earth. My path to becoming a principal was shaped by my experiences as a teacher working in settings that really did not allow me to grow and blossom the way that I needed to. Those disappointments fueled my fire, and I decided I was going to be the administrator that I didn't have for myself. As I became a principal, I realized we need more schools that are actually giving children a chance, giving teachers a chance, so I moved beyond just wanting to be that administrator to wanting to start turning around schools so everybody has a fair and equitable opportunity, especially during these times.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jade
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a couple things. One, it's to my family. They are my backbone. If I didn't have their support, I think I would have lost mine. But I'm definitely, my family and the drive just to improve the circumstances for some children that might not have the opportunities that their peers might have. So, being the voice for the underprivileged, so they again can have those opportunities, because it's not their fault that they were born or placed into the situation that they were. But at the end of the day, it's our obligation to provide them with a free and fair education. So, my family and the drive for improvement for those in need.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't give up. Keep going, and do what is right. It's very easy to get lost in the sauce. You get complaints, and there's the politics of education that can really make people leave, or truly make them leave. So, just really still remaining moral in what they do, and do what is right.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would just say the collaboration. We need everybody hands-on. This truly takes a village, and we need everybody hands-on - the community, the families. We need the kids involved in their own learning process as well, and ourselves included. So I would just say the biggest challenge is everybody working together collaboratively. We need support from everybody.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value honesty, dedication, and heart. You gotta want to do what you're doing. This is not - I don't think anybody's ever gotten a job in education for a paycheck, even though it helps. But no, you have to love what you do, be passionate about it, driven, and dedicated to improving and changing lives. Otherwise, what's the point?
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