On September 1st, I was the guest speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Torrance. I was thrilled to share, since I’ve lived in Torrance for nearly 30 years now, and all three of our children graduated from TUSD schools.
They asked me to talk about my 38 years in public education at LAUSD. I was a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. From there I became a K–12 coordinator, and a district administrator.
This is an excerpt of my talk.
“The kids can’t. The parents won’t.”
For ten years I was principal of 15th Street Elementary in San Pedro. It is a Title I school, which means it qualifies based on family income. Ours qualified for 100 percent free and reduced lunch. The before‑school program opened at 6 a.m. and the after‑school program closed at 6 p.m., because a lot of our parents worked two jobs to make ends meet. A lot of our students were being raised by grandparents.
I stood at the gate every morning and greeted every student. Our parents trusted us and believed we were absolutely doing our best, and that trust put a burden on my heart. So here is the standard I held myself to when I walked into a classroom: if I was not willing to put my own three children in that classroom, then we had work to do.
At the beginning I would hear my staff say, well, the kids can’t. Or the parents won’t.
And I thought, if we don’t believe in them, if we don’t believe in those possibilities, then how are they going to have a chance?
It was hard at first. Changing a mindset always is. But the other half of that bargain is that I owed them the support. That is why I was always in classrooms. That is why I brought in the best professional development I could find, and then went back and asked, how did that feel, what else do you need?
Parents were the other half. At the start you did not see them at back‑to‑school night, because school felt like an intimidating institution. So I facilitated the monthly Title I workshop myself, and showed them what their children needed to learn and how we were teaching it. Over time they came in to volunteer, and I ended up hiring some of those parents as yard supervision aides.
Every dollar went back to students. How do we support them so that they have a chance to dream big? During those ten years the school earned the California Gold Ribbon School Award and the Title I Academic Achievement Award.
“Come listen to my thinking”
Then I was asked to lead a math initiative across eleven schools, the lowest performing in the entire Los Angeles Unified School District. Before I started anything, I looked at two years of data to find the root cause. Then I built a schedule that put me in two schools every single day, teaching demonstration lessons with the teacher, the coach and the principal in the room.
One was in a third grade class. Picture the rug with two classes on it, close to fifty children. I posted the math problem and invited the students to think about what strategies they might use. When they turned and talked, the entire room filled with students thinking.
One of the students pulled the hem of my pants and said, “Come, Miss, come listen to my thinking.”
I still remember it today. It is because of those voices that I kept showing up, rain or shine.
It does not matter what zip code our students come from. They are brilliant. They are full of potential. It is up to us to take them where they are supposed to be.
“I only see myself as a support”
My last role before retiring was leading the Hamilton Community of Schools: 16 schools and about 7,000 students, from early education centers to a comprehensive high school. Some were Title I. Some had earned Distinguished School and Gold Ribbon recognition.
I never see myself as their supervisor. I only see myself as a support. How am I going to work alongside you so that I can build your capacity, so that you can lead your school community the way you think is best for them?
Still learning
I retired in 2023, and I still coach principals across Los Angeles County. This is the lesson I give them, and it is the one I carried out of all 38 years:
When leadership is grounded in meaningful relationships, driven by inquiry and purpose, and strengthened through critical reflection, growth and change take place.
And let me tell you, I am still learning. Every day, I am still learning.
Thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Torrance for having me.
