32 years in public education has provided me numerous experiences working with the public, building valuable connections with families and developing communication skills with people of all ages. I have led and contributed to numerous public outreach programs where I had the opportunity to speak with both large and small groups of adults and children, multiple times a year and worked with people from diverse backgrounds.
As an educator, communication skills are the most important skill you can possess but a close second is organization. Whether discussing scheduling, paperwork, legal documents or meetings, it is imperative that I established a daily routine, methods for tracking documents, systems for grading large quantities of paperwork and record keeping.
The third qualification I learned and applied consistently throughout my career was innovation. Teaching students large quantities of information daily was necessary as an educator but teaching in a manner that grabbed their imaginations, encouraged them to become part of their own learning and giving each child the opportunity to interact with the knowledge they were being taught was why I loved my career.
Time management, conflict resolution, being an problem solver and being adaptable with teams, independently, working with numerous age groups and the public all played a critical role in my success.
Integrate the arts into lessons to meet the learning modalities of all students.
Create opportunities to build community engagement with parents, staff, students and community members annually.