Future-Ready School Leadership

Leadership doesn’t start the day you get the title. It starts in the rooms where you admit what you still need to learn, then go get it. From the NCASA conference in Wilmington, North Carolina, I sit down with Tyneka and Toni, two Wake County Public Schools educators preparing for the next step as principal fellows connected to North Carolina Central University through CCP3 and their MSA pathway.

Website: spotlight4success.com

Transcript

Meet The Host And Guests

Why They Came To NCASA

SPEAKER_02 0:06

I'm your host, Derek Ventozi, and we're here at the NCASA conference in Wilmington, North Carolina. We're here with our special guests, uh Tanika and Tony. They are the principals at the Wake County Public Schools, alright? So what brings you guys here to this conference?

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Well, we were invited here by our um cohort through North Carolina Central University. Um we are currently principal fellows through um CCP3, um, and we are coming here just to get some knowledge and some good um takeaways before we start on our uh leadership journeys.

Keynote Messages That Lit A Fire

SPEAKER_02 0:43

Amazing. So I know the conference just started, but have you learned anything new today so far?

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Yeah, I think this morning um uh Secretary Um Green gave a great um kickoff message. Uh Secretary uh Caldon Cardone gave a very impactful and enlightening message for as aspiring school leaders. I think he gave us that that fire. Yeah, uh he lit that fire for us that can get us in the mood for that learning and engagement for those future sessions that we're gonna do this afternoon.

Books And Tools That Engage Kids

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Absolutely. And um what are some materials you guys like to use in your school classrooms?

SPEAKER_01 1:26

Um as far I'm coming from elementary background more so um I was a second grade teacher for about seven years. Um and so for that it's always looking for um just books in general that students will enjoy, but more than anything that are that they are represented in. Um so even as a teacher, I was trying to build my own school library where the books had characters that looked like the kids that I teach. Um and so those were always great to have, but then always having the fun, like manipulatives um that created a more engaging classroom setting for the kids.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

Awesome. And how do you feel about using AI in classrooms?

Using AI With Clear Guardrails

SPEAKER_00 2:08

So I will speak to that. Yeah, okay. Um so being in a high school setting, um, I think it would be we would be remiss if we didn't talk about AI because that is the future. Um we need to ready our students for um for when we talk about college and career ready. We need to ready them with AI tools and smart AI tool choices and the correct way to use them because they can definitely be an asset, a thought partner in the work that they're gonna do. So I think that we have to in high school kind of instill those structures for them to be able to use them in a most positive way.

Two Very Different Leadership Paths

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Yes. Absolutely. And tell me a little bit about how you guys got into the position you are in right now.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Um, well, I kind of started, I've always wanted to be a teacher my whole entire life. Um so I went, uh, got my education degree, um, then came out, started teaching, started in middle school, then moved to elementary, um, then moved into a leadership position from there, and then got an email one day uh from the district about uh CCP3 and its upcoming cohort with Central. Um and so that's kind of how I got started here. Leadership kind of has just kind of chased me as much as I tried to get away from it. Um people always will recommend me for um leadership roles. Um so I just thought it was a smart idea that let's go ahead and go um get the MSA to really build on what's next for me.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Yeah, absolutely. And anything for you?

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Yeah, so mine is total opposite of Tony's. Um I'm a 20-year Air Force veteran, so um I did 20 years in the Air Force, and then I in retirement life, I said what is next for me. Um and so I wanted to get back to our students. I had a great 20-year Air Force career, traveling the world, seeing a lot of things, being exposed to different cultures, especially from the educational side. Yeah. Um, and so I was able to start in education a little bit later in age, but not in experience and what teachers bring to the table. So I spent time in the classroom as a GRTC instructor, and then I knew that I wanted to impact the greater school population. So came out, started searching for what's next and how to get to school leadership. And here I am, uh finishing up. We're graduating in May, the Central Carolina program, um, but also our MSAs at North Carolina Central. So it's a it's an exciting time for us. It is.

Military Lessons That Transfer To School

SPEAKER_02 4:50

I just want to say thank you for your service because I don't think I've met anyone in education that has started in the military. That's really that's really amazing. So thank you for your service. Are there any um things that you used from your time in the service in the classroom today?

SPEAKER_00 5:04

I will tell you every day I draw on something that I learned in the military. So I went into the military at 18 years old, graduated high school, and that's the pathway I chose. And so the the military raised me in a high impact environment, right? And so coming into the school environment where it's less stressful, but not necessarily less demanding, um, and our kids demand of our time. So a lot of times I draw on the training that I received in the military, and it just pays off because it's a different mindset. Sometimes we get stuck in this is how education does it, but education is everywhere. Yeah, so I bring a little different lens, so it's fun to be able to do that in my counterparts in schools. They're like, never thought about it.

Final Words For The Community

SPEAKER_02 5:57

Oh, yeah. I think everyone needs a little bit of that, so that's that's amazing. Um, do you guys have any last words for the Nkassa community?

SPEAKER_00 6:06

I'm just excited for this experience this year. This is our second year coming here, so I'm excited for those breakout sessions and what we're gonna learn going forward.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Absolutely. Well, thank you for joining us, Tony and Tanika. We're um honored to have you guys on today. Peace out.