Balanced Compassionate Leadership – That’s what I’m all about.
To understand my teaching style is to understand my approach to leadership. At the beginning of a semester I like to get to know the students in my classroom. I talk to them about where they are from, what their goals are, and what concerns they have going into the term, etc. As an instructor this process helps me to tailor course content to meet them where they are in terms of both skill and areas of interest. More importantly, it sets the tone for our classroom. You see, I have a mantra that I share with my students each semester – I let them know that, to me, they are humans first and students second. That’s right. Humans first. Students second.
As a parent of a Bangor School Department student, I tell my son the same thing. The way I see it, no student can be at their absolute best if we, as parents/teachers/support staff, forget to take care of them holistically. This means that we need to be sure that they are feeling supported when it comes to their mental health needs, their scholastic needs, and their social needs. If we are missing the mark on any one of those areas, then how can we expect them to develop to their fullest potential?
As a member of the Bangor School Committee, I would be guided by this same philosophy. I see this as an opportunity to help ensure our children have access to all of the resources imaginable so that they can become whatever it is they dream of becoming, while at the same time helping them to develop into confident, ethically sound, culturally competent, global citizens.