Her Story
About Karen
I started my teaching career after graduating from the University of Missouri in Columbia, where I had originally planned to go into law with a pre-law focus and a history degree. But during a volunteer experience at a school, I discovered my passion for education and wanted to be a role model for other African American children, since all of my teachers were white when I was growing up. I began teaching third grade and taught various grades including fifth and first grade over about 12 years. After earning my master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2008, I became an assistant principal for 10-12 years before transitioning to principal about 8 years ago. Now I'm the founding principal of a charter school elementary campus (pre-K through 5th grade) that I opened 5 years ago. We opened with an A testing rating and I've retained about 95% of my staff, building a strong culture. My main focus is making sure our kids are learning and growing, ready for their next steps both academically and socially-emotionally, while being exposed to a variety of experiences through clubs, step teams, dance, choir, art, and cheer. My typical day involves welcoming kids at carline, walking through the building, meeting with my deans and ops director, and most importantly, coaching my assistant principals to coach teachers, while ensuring student safety throughout the day.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having a strong support system. My parents did a really good job making sure I believed I could do anything I wanted to do - they were my biggest advocates. And then I have a strong support system with my husband who believes whatever I believe. Just having that strong support system has made all the difference in being able to accomplish what I've accomplished in my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to watch the people that you want to emulate. If you want to be a good principal, you need to shadow and observe the things that they do that are good. But then also reflect on the things that you don't like, so that you don't repeat those things. It's about learning from both the positive examples and the negative ones to shape your own leadership style.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Continue to work on your craft. The biggest thing is developing the soft skill of being able to talk to people - being able to communicate with any person, regardless of who they are. This means getting to know people so that you're able to speak to what their needs are. Communication and the ability to connect with people across all backgrounds is essential in education.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The greatest opportunity as a principal is that you can have the greatest influence and impact on young adults and children, so you have to be very intentional about what you're modeling. The biggest challenge to look out for is the work-life balance. This job can engulf you with all the things you need to do, so you have to be able to step back and release sometimes. It's also concerning that the data shows college students going into education has declined, and teachers staying past 3 years has also declined, which is why being an advocate for young teachers and a role model for kids is so important right now.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Truth is kind - that's what I value most. I value honesty and reflection. Being able to be truthful with someone when giving feedback is the kindness part, because you're helping them to elevate their game. You cannot help people if you're not being honest with them about their capacity. I give a lot of feedback, and being truthful is how you truly support people in growing and improving.
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