Interviewee: Heather Buckley Elementary Principal

What is your background in education?

I went to the University of Iowa where I received my elem ed.
degree. I taught in Liberty, MO for 7 years at the 2nd grade level. For
Grad School I got my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. I taught
4th for 3 years in Iowa, and then I was a curriculum director for
Cardinal for a year and traded jobs with the elementary principal this
year. This is my first year as a principal.
When / How did you become interested in making a change
from a teaching position to an administrative one?
I had a wonderful principal in Kansas City whose leadership style
inspired me and got me to take leadership roles under his direction.
From there I thought, I want to do more.
What accomplishment are you most proud of as an
administrator?
I hope that my attention to forming relationships helps create a
shared vision. I make it a priority and get to know them on a personal
level to grow together and support each other.
What is the hardest decision you have had to make in your
administrative career?
Supporting teachers, but stepping in when teachers are not
meeting expectations and not following guidelines so all kids are safe
and successful. I have to take the steps to further support them or let
them go because it is not a safe environment.
As a first year principal there were certain situations that I did
not know what to do. For instance an upset parent in the heat of the
moment. I felt like I did not always have the right answer. There were a
few custody cases where I had to have the police called and this is not
something I felt trained to deal with at the time.
What are the three most critical things you feel a principal
must do in a school to accelerate school growth and ensure
that every child is learning?
1. Making sure the environment is positive and safe
2. Supporting teachers in professional growth
3. Make sure all students know that every teach and staff member is
there to support them.
a. This is the foundational step before benchmarks and assessments)
b. Once that is in place then we can have a laser focus on instruction

At the end of your career, what do you think your staff would
say about you as a leader?
I would hope they would say that i have a passion for what I do, I
love people and that I worked hard to make sure that students were
learning and staff was supported. I would hope they would think I am a
lifelong learner, as I want to be learning alongside them.
What were particular challenges have you faced in the past
year at this community school?
Custody issues and parental support were trying at times. When
parents are called and our belief at school are different than those at
home it can be a tricky situation. I had a parent say well, I told my child
to Go ahead and punch the kid. Different mindsets in the way they
are raising their children, but I always try to explain at school we have
to follow school rules. However, sometimes these rules may contradict
what they have going on at home. This can make parents very
unhappy, so I dealt with a lot of those types of challenges this year.
What direct impact have you had on your schools results?
I do not know for sure if results for student achievement have
gotten much better, but culture has gotten better or at least I hope it
has improved. Student achievement we are getting a clear focus on
where we need to go. Literacy plan sets up fluid guidelines for guided
reading, whole group instruction, and creating intervention that is
purposeful and planned out. We also adopted Blast for phonics work for
fluency and decoding. I do not know if I have had a direct impact yet,
but hope to see growth in student achievement this year.
What do you feel are the top 3 necessary skills for a leader to
have?
1. Love people and care about them
2. Love kids
3. Flexibility because no day is the same. What you plan may not get
done. I think you have to have a passion for learning.
4. COLLABORATIVE SHARED LEADERSHIP APPROACH - I believe you must
hear from other parties because you could be missing something
What are your thoughts about an administrator staying in a
district for 3 years? 5 years? 10 years?
Conflicted because as an admin you have to become part of that
community and build the ties. Once you get comfortable you can still
challenge yourself and be a self learner. You want to thrive you have to
make the initiatives to learn. If I am really happy why would I leave?

In one sentence, describe the role of a principal in the district.

What I would like it to be and what it is are two different things. I see it
as an Instructional leader who supports teachers and students in their
academic journey, while also creating and sharing a vision. However, it
is often more about discipline and behavior than anything else. There
are days I do not leave the office because I have a line of students all
day I must see.
What are the steps must an administrator take to shape a
vision for a school?
First you have to let them get to know you and gain your trust
first. In order for you to share your vision you have to be vulnerable
and honest, point out their strengths and not to criticize. An
administrator must validate what they are doing is really hard work
and we are just fine tuning it to do what is right with kids. Form
relationships first, current reality then put together something I think
would help all students. A vision I had that would become a shared
vision is our literacy plan. I ran it by the reading intervention teachers,
curriculum director and instructional coaches to get perspective before
the vision became a shared one.
How do you hold teachers and/or staff accountable? Todd
Whitaker - Shifting the monkey?
PBIS : lesson planning : I think laying out the expectations and
making it clear from the start. Here is our vision here is how we get
there and non negotiables in a positive way. If a teacher asks for help I
ask reflective questions like what have you tried, what were the results
and have you called parents? That communication piece is something I
push back on the teacher to make sure they have done their part in
behavior.
Lesson / management- I make sure to give feedback. In the
feedabck I give them things to think about and consider. I ask them to
tell me more about why you were doing or why you chose this
activity. I respond to them and then I try to give them a resource or
something to help in the future. Feedback should be done consistently.
So it is not a huge shocker if you have to have a fierce conversation.
However, you may want to give more feedback but the demands of
discipline and managerial things often times get in the way.

What is the most difficult budget decision that you have had to
make?
Havent had to deal with this yet. I am not given a budget, as
the superintendent does everything that deals with the money.
What is the role of the administrator in grant writing?
As the Curriculum director last year I did grants. I would say if
the administrator/principal has the time it is great because it is a great
way to share your vision into action. However, this year I dont think I
would have had the time.
How do you make sure you have a work / home life?
This is something I am still learning. I go home at a decent hour
to pick up Bella. Then I work from 7:30 in the evening on and I think it
will be easier next year. My husband helps keep me in line there. He
helps me a lot. It is something I have to keep in check with.
What advice do you have someone moving into an
administrative role?
Know that we all want to be an instructional leader but the reality
is that sometimes it is hard. Network to have someone to talk to and
get an answer you may not have. Knowing who to call when you do not
know is sometimes more important than having the answer right away.
It is okay to say I do not know. Reply with That is a great question,
what do you think? This puts it back on the team. First year forming
relationships with people is vital. Take the time to get to know the
teachers and families, so they do know you care. This helps when you
have to have difficult conversations later on.