K-12 Administra-HERS

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” 
– President John Quincy Adams, USA

NC State University made the transition from in-person classes to virtual ones during March of 2020 due the COVID-19 pandemic (https://www.ncsu.edu/coronavirus/). The College of Education, and NCSU as a whole, was wonderful about not letting this transition affect the enrichment opportunities already planned for students. On Tuesday, March 31st, at 2pm, I attended a professional development event via Zoom hosted by the College of Education. Three female school administrators spoke to us about their work and shared how their female identity has impacted them in the workplace. Our three speakers were Laura Rierrie - an assistant principal in the Wake County school system, Teresa Pierra- the Program Director at Wake Education Partnership, and Mariah Walker - the principal at Hilburn Academy.

I attended this event because I have considered going into administration. The only thing holding me back from being an administrator is the one-on-one interaction and impact teachers have with their students on a daily basis. Something that stuck with me from the event is the idea that becoming an administrator allows one to have an impact on a much wider range of students. Listening to these administrators speak was inspiring, but I was grateful that Ms. Laura Rierrie spoke about her days as a teacher as well. Being a teacher first helped her later as an administrator because she could emphasize with and offer instructional advice to other teachers. She was able to be a better leader in the school and earned the respect of those she was leading.

I know for sure that I want to teach and have a classroom of my own, but listening to Ms. Laura Rierre encouraged me to not rule out administration just yet. The impact administrators can have on their school and the students sounds like an amazing opportunity. One guest speaker mentioned that it is hard to picture ourselves in certain roles if we don’t see people that look like us in those roles. I would love to be a role model for young students that look like me, and I can do that as an administrator or as a teacher. Whichever profession I choose, I will be positively impacting students, and it was nice to get that reassurance from this event.

I will be using this event as an engagement experience under the Professional Development theme of the COEd Passport to Success program.