Name: Aaron Nelson

Title: Principal

Organisation: Carlsbad Unified School District

Aaron Nelson is an instructional leader and presenter specializing in professional development and coaching around innovative teaching and learning. He holds a B.A. in Sociology and History from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College. In addition, he holds an administrative credential from California State University, San Marcos.

He has worked as a founding faculty member, curriculum designer, and technologist at several secondary schools in San Diego County, as Assistant Principal of Aviara Oaks Middle School in Carlsbad, California, and as Principal of Magnolia Elementary in Carlsbad, California. Aaron is currently the Principal of Calavera Hills Elementary School in Carlsbad, California. He lives in Encinitas with his wife and two children.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Educational Leadership!

I hope Aaron's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as an Educational Leader?

The most challenging aspect of being a leader is striking a balance between providing for the individual academic, social, and emotional needs of the members of our school today, while simultaneously curating a shared vision for tomorrow. The needs of today are pressing and important, but a vision for the future is what allows our organization to continue to thrive. Devoting sufficient time to cultivate each is the challenge.

2. How did you become an Educational Leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Initially, I had no desire to be a leader. I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted to impact students, build relationships, and help prepare kids for success in a changing world. I wanted school to be fun and innovative, rather than stale and repetitive. It was the vision I had for something greater than the status quo that ultimately drew me into leadership.

In the end, the best leaders are really just great storytellers. My ability to cast an innovative vision for the future, to cultivate effective teams, and to build relationships with our stakeholders, made the shift into leadership a natural one.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

As an educator, my day starts pretty early. I believe that you need to take care of yourself in order to be able to show up for others, so I try to work out in the morning before heading into the office. Once I arrive at school I spend some time reviewing my schedule and connecting with the core members of my team about priorities for the day. I think being physically present and modeling the culture you desire is important, so I greet every student and family each morning to set the tone for the day.

The early part of the school day is typically the quietest, so I spend a bit of time doing strategic, long-term planning, and then try to get into classrooms. I’ll typically work from my laptop in the back of a classroom most of the day (if I’m not in meetings) so that I can be a part of the learning environment, and so that I can have first-hand knowledge of what is (and is not) working effectively.

After school dismisses for the day, I’ll spend a bit of time returning calls/emails and addressing any outstanding issues from the day. I try to leave the office by about 4 pm most days. Since I have two kids at home myself, I want to make sure I am home in the evenings and preserving a good work-life balance. I generally try to read a bit before bed in order to quiet my mind.

4. What's a recent lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of as an Educational Leader?

Much of what I know about leadership I learned through sport-playing as a kid and then coaching as an adult. I’m also a huge sports fan and a generally competitive person. As a result, I have always been fond of leaders like John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach at UCLA. Aside from being an excellent coach, he was an amazing leader and a man of great character. He used to say, “Don’t mistake activity for achievement.”

I think that is such an important lesson for leaders. There are a million things we do that keep us busy each day, but effective leaders are able to discern and lean into those things that actually add a positive ROI for the organization.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your journey as an Educational Leader so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted you?

I generally find that I learn more about leadership from books that aren’t inherently about “leadership.” One book that comes to mind for me is Complications by Atul Gawande. In the book, he looks at the challenges of the medical profession, which I think shares a lot of similarities with education. He talks about the paradox between the fact that everyone wants the “best” doctor when they need to have surgery, yet we all recognize that becoming the best requires years of learning, practice, and making mistakes.

So how do we reconcile the tension between knowing that people need to practice and fail, in order to improve, with the high-stakes nature of the work? I think education is the same way. We recognize the need to take risks and to innovate, but failing and potentially damaging a student in the process weighs heavily. Leaders need to be honest about that tension inherent in the work their organization does, and have the emotional intelligence to support their teams with compassion as they engage in that work.

One of the best ways to do that is to provide cover to your team so that they can lean into the work without fear. When things go well, it's always about the work of the team. When things go wrong, that's on me.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young educator who aspires to be an Educational Leader, what would you say to them?

My advice to a young leader would be to guard yourself against the fallacy that you must have all of the answers. Especially for young leaders, the desire to prove your worth can be detrimental to your personal growth and your organization. My advice to leaders is to humble yourself and be willing to ask questions and to learn from those around you, whether that be colleagues, mentors, or even the people that report to you.

Being open and willing to learn will lead to far better results and will help you to build relationships and trust with others. Ultimately, I think it's more important for a leader to be wise than to be smart, and the way you become wise is by striving to listen more and talk less.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as an Educational Leader, so far?

We had a student at my school who had a freak accident on a trampoline, which caused a serious, life-threatening head injury. For a period of time, it was unclear whether he would survive. When he did, the question turned to what life would look like for him after this tragic event. After months in the hospital he returned home and came back to school. It was a hugely emotional experience for the community, and a scary one for us as a staff. We had to grapple with how we would support him as he learned to do everything all over again - walking, talking, feeding himself, etc.

One day during recess, I watched this student, who was in a wheelchair pushed by an adult aide, as a group of kids patiently tried to play handball with him during recess. It really touched me. After all, these kids probably would have preferred to be playing elsewhere with friends. However, they cared that much about this student that they were willing to sacrifice their play time to make him feel connected and seen.

As a leader, the greatest thing we can aspire to is to help cultivate a community that cares for each other and values what each person brings to the table. In this moment, I realized that whatever might be going wrong, we were doing something very right.