Name: Amber McCormick

Title: Principal, EE-5th Grade

Organisation: Angleton Independent School District

Amber McCormick was born and raised in a rural Texas town where the Friday night lights of football games were, and still are, the time-honored expectation, a cherished tradition. Her upbringing was shaped by a stay-at-home mom and a father who balanced roles as a chemical operator and a firefighter EMT.

Despite her father not completing high school until earning his GED, Amber was inspired by her parents' dedication to their family and community. Amber's own academic journey had its challenges. She struggled to learn to read until a pivotal moment in third grade when everything finally clicked. Later, as an educator in 2008, Amber recognized her own undiagnosed dyslexia and began piecing together how it had influenced her early education. Despite these early struggles, she graduated as salutatorian of her high school class and pursued higher education with determination.

Amber attended the University of Houston-Clear Lake, earning her degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a 4.0 GPA. She began her career as a first-grade teacher—a grade she continues to hold dear. In 2012, she obtained a master’s degree in education from UHCL, along with a principalship certification, later adding a counseling certification to her credentials.

She served as a school counselor for five years, a role she deeply valued. However, after the tragic loss of a beloved student, Amber transitioned into school leadership, becoming an assistant principal in 2020 at the height of COVID, and eventually principal in 2023 at what she proudly considers “the best school in all the land.”

Amber is a devoted wife and mother to two active boys, one of whom also shares her genetic trait of dyslexia. Her personal experiences fuel her passion for advocating for students with learning disabilities and promoting social-emotional learning for all children. As a data enthusiast and active member of TEPSA, Amber continuously seeks ways to enhance her school’s performance and culture.

She recently completed a year-long leadership program at Rice University with Leadership Partners, where she had the privilege of meeting two of her education idols, Dr. Anthony Muhammad and Principal Kafele. When she’s not at work, you will find her on the basketball court or baseball field cheering on her children as her boys’ number one fan. She is an avid fisherwoman and enjoys hunting with her family.

She loves to listen to audiobooks and true crime podcasts, but her true love is cooking for her friends and family. She is currently working on writing a cookbook, and cannot wait to share her love of food with others. Amber’s story is one of resilience, growth, and unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for all students to succeed, no matter the odds.

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

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

Cheers,

Jonno White

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

One of the most challenging aspects of being an Educational Leader is being able to set boundaries between work and home, creating a happy balance between the two. I have struggled with setting down the work and going home to be with my family, knowing that the work will still be there tomorrow.

My Type A, perfectionist personality (which I feel that many leaders suffer from), tends to get the best of me and tell me that my work must be done, done perfectly, and cannot wait because time is of the essence when it comes to providing the absolute best education possible for all students.

Another challenge is that no two days in education are ever the same. There is excitement in the unpredictability of your day, but there is also a downside to things not going according to plan. You must be flexible and learn to quickly pivot, while maintaining that what you are doing is in the absolute best interest of the children in your care.

Let me not forget to mention the bureaucracy tied to Texas Public Education with high-stakes testing. We work so hard in Texas Public Schools to provide a differentiated educational experience for our students, while addressing their personal strengths and weaknesses for growth, and yet we are expected to give students a standardized assessment to determine the overall effectiveness of the staff and teaching practices. This assessment does not measure growth, it simply measures achievement.

Finally, and perhaps the most frustrating challenge, the funding of Texas schools has not been adequately addressed in the Texas legislature. Our current formula for funding Texas Public Schools is archaic, forcing our schools to do more with less. With our current school finance formula we are not only letting down the staff, but the students and our communities as well.

It is incredibly difficult as a campus leader to have to tell my teachers that things they want to do/need to do for our students cannot be covered by the current budget system without significantly cutting something else (like paper or technology resources). I cannot think of another profession in which you pay for items and experiences for other people's children out of your own pocket. In schools, this is the norm and has come to be expected by those outside of education.

Teachers, paraprofessionals, staff and administrators do it every single day because we care and want what is best for all students. We want to keep our most precious resource safe and provide the greatest educational opportunity for our children and community; unfortunately, that comes at a cost. No, the school systems are not money-making entities upfront, but we are striving daily to create globally thinking, life-long learners who will one day make decisions for our communities and country.

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

In high school, I had an amazing counselor who saw my potential and consistently pushed me to be the best version of myself. I truly believe that she knew I would be an educator before I even knew it myself. I went through the chosen possible future career scenarios in my head- doctor, lawyer, dentist, but none of those just felt quite right for me. I knew that I wanted to work with children, specifically I wanted to work with students who struggled to learn to read, much like I had.

I wanted to be that champion for all students, so it was a no-brainer that I ended up pursuing a degree in education. When I began my teaching career, I learned very quickly that the campus leader sets the tone for the rest of the staff. I noticed that staff who felt supported and encouraged would go that extra mile for the students, no questions asked, no matter what challenges they had in their path. I wanted to not only be the champion for our students, but also provide a loving environment for our staff as well.

What better way to support students and to have a wider reach? I knew that I could support the staff and coach them into becoming the best version of themselves, much like my high school counselor did for me. My absolute favorite part of my job now is getting to coach teachers through observation and feedback cycles; helping them to reach their full potential is a joy like no other.

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

Each day when my alarm goes off, I take a few minutes to myself to breathe, say my morning prayers, and check my calendar. Then, I hit the ground running! I have my two boys to get ready for the day and I like to arrive on campus before students step foot into the building. This gives me time to check my emails, make sure the building is ready and safe, and set my intentions for the day.

For the last two years I have focused on my time management and calendaring tasks for the week ahead on Monday morning or Friday afternoon. My calendar rules my world! If it isn’t on my calendar, it isn’t happening. Each week I use a color-coded calendaring system for things such as meetings, must do tasks, classroom walkthroughs, culture building activities, duties, and time to work on data/writing up observations.

I go through my week and first block off all non-negotiable tasks such as ARD meetings, administrative meetings, pre-scheduled classroom observations, basically anything that cannot be missed no matter how the day is unfolding. I then block off duty times, AM/PM and lunch duties- these times never change, but it is important to have it down on my calendar when it comes to other tasks getting done. I then move to classroom walkthroughs and coaching opportunities with my staff.

One of my favorite things on my calendar is culture building activities- these are specific times where I get to know my staff and students on a personal level. These activities are often overlooked by leaders, but this work is some of the most important! Knowing you students and staff, gives you a better understanding of your building culture and needs- this can make or break a building principal. Finally, I calendar time for me to work on tasks that I need absolute focus.

This part is the hardest for me, as I am a believer of an open door policy and communication. However, I have also learned that if I don’t want to be at work until 7:00 in the evening every day, I have to set boundaries and time aside to get it done. It is ok to close your office door every once in a while to just focus on the managerial tasks of the principalship.

At the end of the work day, I like to reflect on what went well and what areas I can improve on in the upcoming days. I check my emails, return parent phone calls, and check that my office is organized for the next day. I have found that being organized is a major key to success as an educational leader.

I have tried to limit the amount of tasks and time that I work at home. It is important to me to be present with my family and enjoy the time I have with my personal children… The days may seem long, but the years are short. I have set my phone to not accept calls or texts starting at 9:15pm until 6:00am, because as I have said before setting boundaries as a leader is important.

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

A lesson I have learned, and I am reminded of time and time again, is that one person cannot do it all! You must have a team who you can trust and rely on to get the job done. Each person on your leadership team has a crucial role to play to ensure the overall success of your campus. Take the time to get to know the people on your staff, what strengths they possess, and play on those strengths. You do not have to do it all, but as the leader you should know who you can ask for help.

That being said, I have also found that clarity is kindness. If you need something done and completed a specific way, you must provide clarification on the expectations. Do not expect people to read your mind! Clearly set the expectations and follow up throughout the process to ensure there are no ambiguities.

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?

One book that has had a profound impact on my journey as an Educational Leader is Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, an ex Navy Seal. This book rocked my world as a leader! It has helped me to see that if a part of my organization fails at any given mission, it starts with me and my expectations as a leader. It is important to ensure that, as I said before, everyone has clarity on what is expected of them in their role. Staff members need to be provided with the who, what, where, when, why and how.

They need to understand and be a part of creating the goals and mission of the organization. It is my responsibility as the campus leader to follow through and provide adequate support for them to get there. If there are barriers in the way, it is my job to remove those barriers or find a team who can help me remove them.

From this book, I have learned:

1) to take responsibility, admit my mistakes, and learn from them (and allow others to do the same);

2) focus on solutions instead of pointing the finger at others;

3) understand that mistakes are opportunities for learning;

4) empower others on the team to be their best;

5) continue to set high standards for myself and others;

6) prioritize tasks in order of importance; and

7) simplify- everyone needs to know their roles and responsibilities.

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?

Let your people know that you love them. Do everything you do in love, keep what is best for children at the forefront of all decisions you make, and you will never go wrong. If your staff know this about you and know that you will always do what is best for children, they will be more likely to support you even if they disagree with your decisions. Never forget- clarity is kindness and people are just that… people. Do not confuse one bad day for a bad career, bad days will come and go, but so will good days; soak in the good along with the bad and learn from them all.

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

One meaningful story that comes to mind from my time as a leader so far, isn’t necessarily a story per se, as much as it is a lesson learned from working with people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, and religions- show up for others in times of need. One thing that will test your true character as a leader is that hardships will arise for yourself and those in your care.

Your time and how you show up during those times of adversity will matter. It will matter in the moment, and it will matter in the future. People will not remember everything that you do/have done, but they will remember how you made them feel. Show-up for your people.