SPEAKER_00 0:00

One of the things that early year principals experience is teacher turnover. A lot of times a new principal comes in and the staff has to feel them out before they decide if they want to stay. And we notice that a lot of times people. That's not the case here at Rayma Road Elementary where I'm here with Ms. Jamie Peterson, first year principal, who's seen tremendous success and why. That's what we're gonna cover on today's episode of the New Teacher Big Impact Podcast. Impact begins now.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

New Teacher Big Impact.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

And let me just let you know, I go to a lot of schools. I travel across the world, do a lot of professional development and training and keynote workshops and things like that. When I stepped into this building, there was just a piece that I hadn't experienced in a long time. I just assumed that there had been a building principal that had been here for years, that has, you know, knows the staff, just been here for a while, and coming to find out this was your very first year, I said we have to sit down and have a conversation because I don't experience this everywhere. So, first of all, thank you so much for being here. And just, you know, how's how are things going for you so far?

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Thank you for having me. Um, great, great, fantastic. First year was wonderful, not perfect, right? We're dealing with human beings, I'm a human being, but it was it was really, really good. Um, and we can get into all that as as you ask the questions. But um, it was fantastic. Summer's a little quiet, you know, it's only July what ninth, and I'm ready for the children to come back.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

That's awesome. That's that's that passion. So you were saying that earlier, you like a building that has children in it, you know. Even through it's summer camp, you have other things going on, and you're just like, ah, there's kids here.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Yes. I walk down there, I'm like, I have to get my my eyes on some children just to like get some hugs and yeah, just the energy that you get from children. Yeah, is irreplaceable.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

And I think that that is part of the reason. Like your joy is just infectious. You know, I can there are so many people who are like, oh, I can't wait for the kids to go, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:54

And you're like, I love them. Yeah. I mean, it was, you know, the first week, I was like, okay, this is kind of nice. Yeah, you know, it's almost like when your own children, you know, take a trip or aren't home. It's like after a couple of days, all right, it's a little bit too quiet around here. I need them back.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Got it. All right. So we'll talk a lot about like how year one went for you and all those things, but let's take it take it back. I'm imagining the listener that is thinking about stepping into administration or is already an administrator, and we know that year one teaching is rough, year one as a principal is like twice as rough. It's really hard. What were some of your expectations heading into year one? Teachers are burning out faster than ever. Confidence is dropping, imposter syndrome is rising, and too many classrooms feel like survival instead of transformation. But what if it doesn't have to be this way? Great teaching isn't magic, it's a method. And inside the Impact Playbook, you'll discover the six principles that thousands of teachers are already using to reignite their passion, engage their students, and build classrooms that thrive. This isn't just another book that collects dust on the shelf. It's a complete system that helps teachers step into their strengths, prevent burnout, and create learning that sticks. If you're looking to see a drop in teacher turnover and a boost in student engagement, the principles are right here inside the book. So if you're a teacher ready to reclaim your confidence or a district leader ready to transform entire schools, click the link to get the Impact Playbook today. Because when teachers win, students win and entire communities win, and the world has changed forever.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

So I started off, so coming in, I came in a little bit earlier in June, even though the official start date was July 1, right? And just to kind of get a feel of the building, get to know the staff that happened to be in the building, the front office, spent some time then, then I set up one-on-ones with every staff member, sent out a welcome email. And um, I would say, thinking back to last summer, oh, that feels like a long time ago. Um, but I would say 90% of the 80 staff members signed up for a one-on-one. And that was, I think, a game changer. Yeah. Just to have that 20 minutes with that. I think that set it off to like they felt valued from the very first time that I was able to meet them and they were able to meet me.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

So 80 staff members, I'm hearing that's that sounds like a lot, yeah, right? But 90% of them signed up, came over the summer. What was your goal through those one-on-one conversations?

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Really? To because there's not any way in 20 minutes you're going to get to know that person, how you're going to get to know them over the year, right? Working alongside of them. But it was just to give them the opportunity really to have time with me. Because it is, I've been in, I mean, I was a teacher for a very, very long time. I've been an AP for 10 years. Having a new principal come in that's going to drive the ship is that can be scary, let's face it. You know, you may not that that person may not be kind, they may not be as whatever it is. So I think just giving them the time to sit and talk to me was more instead of me doing the talking, just so they could ask me questions. And I told them, I said, ask me anything you want.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

Yeah. Well what were some of the things that came out in those conversations?

SPEAKER_01 5:00

They just wanted to know like what my what well what my experience had been. Why did I come why did I want to be at Rama? Sure. Um, was I going to change anything?

SPEAKER_00 5:10

Of course.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

Um, and then what what what was my expectation of them as a teacher? Oh, they wasn't a good idea. Or as a as a staff member. Yeah, many of them did. Yeah. So that was really helpful, I think. Um starting off with that. And then really just coming in gently, but yet I'm not an authoritative leader, I'm definitely a servant leadership style. Um, but it's a fine line because you have to come in gently, but you also don't want to come in weak. Right. So I had to find that balance. So I did a lot of listening, a lot of observing, um, and then we just planned a dynamic staff kickoff.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Okay. So now, why why was that a priority for you? I can imagine coming in year one. There's so many things that you can do. You want to get into the data, you want to see like what we're gonna do, class rosters, all the things. With 80 staff members, why was it a priority for you to meet with you said 90% of we to meet with 72 people before the school even started?

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Again, I think it was to uh put them at ease a little bit. I'm such a people person. I I that is something that is just so important to me is relationships. So I think just giving them that 20 minutes or so to be able just to ask me anything and to see me in the building as the new face. I mean, I met the whole staff before school was out in May, but they had so many things on their mind. I mean it was EOGs and it was, you know, all of that going on. Um, but I think it was the goal really was just to give them the opportunity to have my undivided attention for 20 minutes. I think that that just creates a a sense of value on their part. They're valued. I took the time, everybody knows how much that must be coming into a school, right? But then I would take the time to meet with them for 20 minutes.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

That's really cool. What do you think that did for you as the year went on? I'm sure there were other things that you did, but if you could um hyper focus on that one gesture, what do you think that did throughout the course of your year one for you?

SPEAKER_01 7:14

I think it set the tone that I am approachable, that um, and then I just followed up with that. I'm I'm very much out in the building. I try to not be in my office. Yeah. Um, un unless there's just like an important meeting or a deadline that I have to meet, right? Um and we do have rolling cards, and that's gonna be even more of a priority this year is taking my computer with me. And if there is something that can be done on the go, that I just park it in a classroom or right outside the in the hallway and get that done. But I do think that just having those one-on-one meetings just set the tone that I'm approachable, I'm a I'm a I'm a I'm just a person, and I just happen to have my principal license, and I am I've proven that I can be a leader because in CMS to be chosen to be a principal is a big deal. Um, and so you have to have a track record, right? But you also want to, with all of those that being in place, and you know, but just letting that the staff know that I'm a teacher at heart. You know, I just happen to be the principal and I'm gonna lead alongside of you, and that just set it off that I'm we're partnering in this.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Yeah, you know, yeah, I do know, and I think that says so much about this culture of the building. You know, as as as I talk about all the time, and for the listeners all the time, there are three drivers of new teacher retention. One, it's how the leaders see them, two, it's how they see themselves, and three, it's how the school feels to be a part of. Right. And just like I was mentioning at the top of the show, just walking into this school just felt like wow, uh, this is a place I can see. Because I I always like to use the example of Dallas Cowboys, right? The Dallas Cowboys are not good. I wasn't they have been, but they're not. See, okay, so I was born in 1992. Okay, I've never seen them good. Oh, wow. Is that your team though? No, I'm the Philadelphia Eagles fan, so I'm I like them even more, right? Dallas sucks. So, but every year you have people that are like, this is our year, Dallas Cowboys, this is our year, we're gonna do it. We're gonna buy it. They're buying, they're still buying jerseys, they're showing up, selling out games.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

The cheerleaders have uh their own television show. You think I'm the Dallas Cowboys? It's a reality show, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

And when I when I think about school culture, I think about that to say, you know, Dallas Cowboys fans have been through some tough seasons, they've been through some hard times, but they keep showing up right because the culture says this is what we do. I'm I'm with my people that I belong. I belong here. Right. And the same thing as for school cultures, teaching is tough. Being administrator is tough. Like the work that we do is so hard, but when there's a culture that says I'm with the people that I belong with, we can push through the tough times. Yes. All right. So have you seen, how have you seen the way that you use, or how did you use culture to really influence teacher retention this year?

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Yeah, I think just piggybacking on what you said, it's a we are a community, we are a family, and that's what drives, I think, everything. We our staff does a really good job of not just collaborating in PLCs and that type thing, but they do things outside of school together. They do, they go like I remember when I had a one-on-one last year, um, it was three fourth grade or three fourth grade teachers at the time, still all here, but um, they came in together and asked if they could meet with me together. And I was kind of like, sure. It was fantastic. We talked for an hour and they were headed to the pool for the day. So they're friends outside of school. I mean, that always helps, right? Yeah. So I think about our third grade team. They're all BTs, they were led by an MCL first year out of the classroom. They were like this. They would talk all the time in PLC about, well, we were texting last night, and it that was a Monday, so they were texting over the weekend. You know, so I think it's just it's just about leaning on one another and celebrating the good times, and then with that foundation, you stick together in the tough times. Because we, you know, again, this year was not perfect. We had some hard times. We had some some times where the data was not where it needed to be, and we had to have some really hard conversations. But when that foundation is laid where you care about one another, especially when the administrator cares they feel that you care and value them when you have to have those conversations, yeah. It's not uh I gotcha. It's here, here's where we are. We gotta work together, we gotta, we gotta, we gotta do better.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

Yeah, you know. I do I do know. I heard somebody else say it's not a I gotcha, it's a I gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

I gotcha, look at that.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

It's not I gotcha, it's a I gotcha.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

Yeah, yeah. That's huge. Do you have you do you influence some of those outside of school activities or encourage it, or does it just kind of did it just happen?

SPEAKER_01 11:54

Um it it was already in place some, but I think that as a leadership team, we talked about that, like this the um social committee plans one thing a month, one afternoon out on a Friday, Thursday or Friday. I stop by, I hang out for 30, 45 minutes, so they see me. I do that when I can. Um, I think I went to like five or six out of nine or ten last year. Um, I think that's important, you know, that we're all real human beings. We're not these robots that come to work like the children sometimes think we are. They see us outside of school and they're like, What? Wait, what you're you shop for groceries? You're a target. Um, so anyway, I think that it is very important to just have those relationships.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

I do, and I love that you created that. That's what I was asking to see if you kind of create some of those opportunities for them to build those relationships outside of school. When I reflect on my early years, I remember I went through Tease for America and the school that I was joining uh when I first started teaching, we had, I think, 11 BTs or 11 first years. So we had like six from Tease for America and you know, five that were just regular first years out of like the 22 staff, 50% were first year teachers. And uh we did a lot outside of school. They really encouraged and facilitated those opportunities for us to build. And yet we ended up having, you know, we were all like 21, 22 years old. So we would meet uh on Tuesday nights at somebody's apartment and to have dinner every Tuesday night. The school didn't organize that, but because of the fact that the school made it such a place where we felt like family, if you would, or community, and we just said, How do we keep this thing going? And then all year, like we just switched apartments every Tuesday night. Like it was it was and that really, really helped us to form again to fight through the tough times when we've seen it. Yes, yes. So, what is the the evidence that you would say now that at the end of year one, what is the proof that building that strong culture, building that sense of community and belonging was effective?

SPEAKER_01 14:02

So we did not lose many staff members at all. And the ones we did, there was not one staff member that left to go to another school.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

That's huge, right? We had um two TAs that resigned. One moved back to Winston-Salem to be with family, um, and then another TA has children here. She still wants to be involved and substitute, but she was able to not have you know to work every day while her kids are young. So that's a celebration for her. Um I'm thinking of the other teachers that we had leave. Um, one of our AC teachers moved back to the Philippines.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:41

Um scanning down up and down the hallways. We uh you know, and uh for whatever reasons, you know, the culture and all of that, um, it was we just didn't have a whole lot of staff leave. And we are growing, so we added two fourth grades, and we also added a first grade. So we're growing, so we added teachers. And I started hiring early, and so I was able to get some really good teachers, and I used my connections from previous schools, so I was able to actually a couple of them reached out knowing that I was here, whatever. And so I'm bringing in people that I've worked with before that I know for a fact have the same vision with community and relationships and kids first and all of that. Um, yeah, so I think that is that kind of speaks for itself.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

It does, it does, and that shout out to you.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

What a celebration. It's not we have such a strong leadership, and there was a lot of of this in there was this this was in place before I came. I just built on what was already in place.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

But I think that your cognizance as a leader to keep going with what was working is impactful because again, a lot of times the research will show you a lot of times a new principal comes and there's this mass exodus, whether it's 10% or 50%, right? It's because ah, I don't like how this person is doing things. And they often say it takes three to four years before a new principal really instills their system. Right. And it seems you're just keeping it going and keeping the momentum going. That's huge, especially for schools that are not in a crisis situation where they're saying we're losing teachers left and right. Right. But we just need to maintain, right? Like we're we're shooting for our goals, we're a B school shooting for A, or we're uh C school right there on the cusp of a B. Right there. Right. But we know we in order to hit those goals, we can't have to hire 10 teachers. Like, it's gonna be the mass destruction. Right. So a school's in that maintenance phase, it's important to really make sure that culture is strong and grow. Right. You know, I love that. I love that. That's huge. If you would like for your school district to be empowered as well, you can click the link down below and our team will reach out to you. All right, so what are we thinking about for next year? What let's specifically with the BTs, I know you said you had a whole third grade team, and I know you did some work there. We don't have to necessarily talk about all of that, but what is some of the work you're doing with the BTs to really ensure that they have that that mindset, that grit to stick with it as they continue to grow?

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Right. Well, so Teacher Leader Pathway Program is huge in CMS, as you know. So we have EITs in the building. We are really, my AP, my leadership team, and I are really outlining the EIT's responsibilities, and a lot of those responsibilities are leadership on their grade level. How are they going to lead? And then if they don't have BTs on their grade level, every EIT is going to be either a mentor or some type of leadership responsibility for the BT program. Got it. There's so much, as everybody listening knows, there's so much to learn stepping in as a BT, year one, two, three, and so on, right? So that is one thing that we're doing to support BTs. Um we are also going well, I I don't know if it's time to talk about this, but I do want to share that we are, and you know this, but for our listeners, uh, your listeners, that we are bringing in the Ron Clark House system. Raymer Road has had houses, um, and they were their own names, or you know. So we are full-in Ron Clark. Our Ron Clark house team consists of six staff members. Our Dean of Students is is the chair for that. Okay. And they've been here four or five days already this summer painting benches, the house colors, painting frames, hanging um pictures of students, like live shots of students. And we're gonna have TVs throughout the building and the app, everybody will have the app, and it's just gonna be fantastic. That is important because we've talked about staff and family and relationships and culture, but we also we must, must, must bring children into that so all of our students feel that same, that same family community. And so I think the house system is a fantastic way of course to do that.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Of course. I love it, and I think that's gonna you do wonders. I've seen a lot of schools that have implemented you know the house system, and um it's it's a lot of work. It's awesome. But once you get enrolling, you know, it's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

It's powerful. It is awesome, especially when you have the TV here and the children are coming in in the morning. They are drawn to that TV to see what place their house is, because it'll show the point total, you know, and they earn points for doing going above and beyond for growth, for just all you know, showing kindness, all of these things. And so they you will see 10 to 12 children around the TV in the morning, and immediately they're talking to each other. Look at our house. You know, we're in the lead. Oh, we're in second. We gotta do, we gotta do better this week. So it's just a cool way to build community.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

No, I'm excited. I'm excited. All right, let's land a plane here. Uh, two rapid fire questions. People really just lean in for this. They people always love to walk away with a specific strategy. What can I do? So I know right now we're recording over the summer. The time this releases is gonna be uh in the school year. What can a leader do this week that is gonna strengthen the culture in their building and ultimately influence retention in a positive way?

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Yeah, I think that um we haven't even I haven't even touched on this, but I think making sure that you have all of your expectations what in the handbook, ready at your back to school meeting so that everyone knows what is expected. Right? Because if you think about, I don't know, going back to football, if a football team goes out on the field and nobody knows the place, they're not gonna be successful. So I think it's so important to have a very organized back to school meeting and not just like rules by any means, but just the overall expectations, have those so that your leadership team is aware, so when it is presented to staff and questions are asked, that everybody's hearing the same thing, right? So there's not consistency, common language, and there's not um confusion on what the expectations are. I think that is huge. Um, and then another thing I think is just taking your time with hiring within reason, right? And just really lean in, and this is so important because I've been burned with this, really leaning into the references and having good conversations as you are choosing those people to interview, calling the references and really being intentional with the questions that you're asking. I mean CMS has questions, but I'm sure every district does. But just really getting a good, uh thorough reference before bringing someone on board.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

Got it. That makes sense. Definitely. What do you think is a mistake or the biggest mistake that leaders make when it comes to uh the school culture?

SPEAKER_01 21:41

I think coming in and trying to change too many things at one time. I've been on that end as a teacher where you had someone come in that was, you know, probably had the best intentions and were so excited to, you know, be there and lead the school, but starting to change the master schedule and changing, you know, changing how long PLCs are, going from 90 minutes down to 75 because they want to save this 15 minutes. So you're changing everything that everyone is used to.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

Um, so I think just picking a couple of things maybe to tweak, especially changing, you know, the things that you definitely need to pay attention to changing or anything that has to do with student safety, obviously, like uh morning duties and afternoon duties and dismissals and the flow of transitions and and uh how you're using your BMT if you have one and just all of those safety um um topics. But other than that, just real that first last year I did not touch the master schedule. Now, if there would have been something where I saw major time wasted, I would have tweaked that, but I let that flow, and honestly, we made some changes this summer to you know um just positive changes within the master schedule. But I think that's a mistake, just coming in and being over-eager and changing too many things.

SPEAKER_00 22:56

Got it, got it, got it. All right, well, hopefully we don't make those mistakes. Right, right, right, right. That's powerful. Well, again, shout out to you. I think it's been incredible. I told you that when we met back in March, you know, when I came, uh, we did the school takeover, full day PD, everybody got books and yes, and we are, I have to say that we're using your book as a springboard for our BTs this year.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

You know, they have to have monthly meetings, or they get to have, not have to have, we get to have monthly meetings um for our BTs, our mentors and our mentees, and so we're using your book as a springboard. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

Well, definitely reach out. I'll do some, I can do virtual pop-ins and things like that. That'd be awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, so again, when I stepped in, we felt, I just I just felt it. And I said, this the con is a conversation that needs to be had because not every school feels like this. You're doing something different, and what is it? And you just revealed, you know, those relationships, it's the connection, it's the culture. And if we can get that solid, then we can really help influence teachers that become the teachers they've always wanted to be.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

Yes, yes, and celebrate and shout out and just make it. I always tell teachers, if you we're all gonna have days where we're like, oh man, I want to stay home in my jammies and have coffee all day, right? Yeah, yeah. But if you ever pull into school and you I hate to use this word, but I tell this to staff, and you dread coming in, then come see me. We need to have a talk.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

Right?

SPEAKER_01 24:12

Something is not right.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

Love it.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Right? You need to love your job. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

So mad. Well, Miss Peterson, I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

Thank you for thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

Yeah, this was this was so much fun. We probably will do it again.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Good.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

Um, for that being said, thank you for being here for the new Teacher Big Impact podcast, and I'll see you on the next one. I help new teachers become the teachers they've always wanted to be and make the impact our students deserve. Because I've been there. I know what it's like to struggle, to feel like I'm not enough, but I also know what's on the other side: excitement, fulfillment, and the ability to change lives. Every great teacher was once a new teacher, and new teachers are often excited and eager and anxious, but a lot of times new teachers lack the foundational skills of effective instruction. Every teacher that I work with, I carry them through this journey, helping them master the principles of effective instruction so that they know how capable they are. I can't wait to see these teachers enact. They're 1% amazing and make the difference that only they can. If you would like for your school district to be empowered as well, you can click the link down below, and our team will reach out to you.