Name: Charity Cartland

Title: Principal

Organisation: Sheboygan Area School District - James Madison Elementary School

"I am a 7th-year principal at James Madison Elementary School in Sheboygan, WI. Prior to becoming principal, I worked with multiple schools, across K-12 levels, in the Sheboygan Area School District as a Learning and Innovation Coach for about 5 years. I began my career teaching a variety of secondary science courses in the Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas. Overall, I have worked in the field of Education for about 18 years.

I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Mid-American Nazarene University in Olathe, KS. Later, I went on to take a few more courses in order to receive my administrator license for the State of Wisconsin through St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. "

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

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

Cheers,

Jonno White

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

There are many challenges to being an Educational leader. However, I believe one of the biggest challenges is keeping your focus (and the focus of those you lead) on the main goal. There are constantly new initiatives vying for attention. There are serious and urgent behaviors or incidents that can pop up at a moment’s notice that MUST be attended to. If you are not aware, you can spend all of your time, focus, and attention on these urgent issues, neglecting your overall mission and vision over time that is important, but not necessarily urgent.

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

A few years into my teaching career, I knew I wanted to continue to learn and grow as an educator. At that time, I had several colleagues encourage me to go to graduate school for administration. However, I chose not to at that point and received a Masters degree in Educational Technology. I thought I had no desire to be an administrator. Over time and with different types of experiences within the field of education, my desire grew to lead and guide. I wanted to expand my reach beyond the students solely in my classroom. I also really enjoyed helping staff further develop their skills.

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

As a mom of young children with a 45 minute one way commute each day, time management is a big priority for me. I get up at 6 AM every morning to get myself and my children ready. I fix breakfast and make sure my children’s backpacks are packed for the day. I then leave my house by 7 AM each day. Once I arrive at work, my day begins. I have meetings almost every morning beginning either at 7:45 or 8 AM. Then, the student school day begins at 8:45 AM. Throughout the school day I can be seen completing observations in classrooms, supervising lunch and recess, as well as counseling students and staff. School dismisses at 3:45 PM and you will find me at our main entrance ensuring a safe departure for our students. Many days I may have meetings after school as well. However, if I do not, I usually try to leave by 4:30 PM each day to begin my commute home. At home, I cook dinner for my family and then usually try to work out before putting my children to bed. Sometimes, after my children are in bed I will open my computer to complete some work, but I try not to do that as much as possible. I also try to protect my weekends so I can spend time with my family and friends, and recharge.

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

A leadership lesson that a typical principal might learn would be to make sure you have a vision, skills, incentives, resources, and an action plan in order to implement change. (Ambrose, 1987) You can have a great idea, but without a vision, you will have confusion; without staff skills, you will create anxiety; without incentives, you will only see gradual change; without resources, you will receive frustration; and without an action plan, you will get false starts and never really get off the ground. I have tried to review this process each time I find myself leading a change (whether small or large).

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?

The book Transforming School Culture by Anthony Muhammad has influenced me as an educational leader. The book helped me take an honest, reflective look at myself as a leader and at the culture of our school. It then outlined 4 essential skills I realized I needed to focus on: 1. Skillful communication 2. Trust building 3. Capacity building 4. Accountability - results-oriented and courageous Narrowing my focus to these 4 skills has helped me to stay the course on the things that will have the biggest impact on our school culture and student outcomes.

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?

Get thick skin and be humble. You won’t be able to achieve lasting, great things without either one.

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

Early on in my career as an educational leader, I received an anonymous letter in the mail addressed to me at the school. The person was quite unhappy with some changes I had made and also communicated that they did not think I was doing a very good job in my new role. I was obviously disappointed but also felt confident in the changes I had made and the job I had been doing. In order to be transparent, I scanned the letter and sent it to the Superintendent letting him know that I had received the letter, read it, and would be happy to discuss the concerns of the letter with him. A few days later the Superintendent came to our school and asked to meet with me. He let me know he had also received a copy of the same letter in the mail. He patiently listened to my reasonings and justifications. Then, he took out the letter he had received in the mail, ripped it up, and said, “From now on, this is what you should do with anonymous ‘feedback.’ People who wish to remain anonymous aren’t seeking solutions or answers, they just want to complain.” While both he and I know there is a place for anonymous feedback, that moment has made a profound and lasting impression on me and on my confidence as a leader. And, I believe that was his bigger point.