I was set to begin the next phase in my career in education. I was going to be an Administrative Associate at a 5-8 grade campus in a new school district. I would be responsible for part of the campus 504 caseload and other administrative duties except for Special Ed.

The biggest change was my new 45 minute commute. I had never worked this far away from my home, so that was a bit unnerving. Another concern was how I would fit into my new environment. There were not many students that looked like me. How would this community accept a black male in a leadership position?

I was one of four administrators on campus. Everyone that I met upon my arrival on campus was nice and seemed genuinely excited that I was there. I met with the campus Principal and settled into my office.

After speaking with the Principal and finding out what would be expected of me, I was ready to get to work. I took every opportunity to make connections with students, staff, and parents. I enjoyed being in the hallways, visiting classrooms, and lunch duty.

I learned how the school district and campus handled 504 meetings from one of the other Assistant Principals. There were close to one hundred students that we conducted meetings for that school year. This, along with supervising athletic events, kept me busy.

Covid was running rampant at the time. There were several days of contact tracing and calling parents to inform them that their student could not come back to school for a few days. There were also discipline concerns. I became pretty good at investigating using camera footage and interviewing students.

Overall, I was enjoying the school year. One Assistant Principal was very helpful to me, another mostly helpful, and one who only offered to help when I asked. I was getting good experience and started settling in more. This position was supposed to be for two years. I can do this…

During a staff development meeting I received a phone call from one of the districts that I had applied to. I completed an application for their Assistant Principal pool. To my surprise, I was contacted to interview for an Assistant Principal position at a middle school. This was exciting news.

I returned the phone call and set a time for the interview. The interview would be conducted via Zoom. The interview, I felt, went well. I waited days to receive a response that never came. I was a little disheartened but I still felt good about my situation.

I continued planning and attending meetings in preparation for the upcoming year. A few days later I received a call to interview for a position with the same school district that I recently interviewed with. I would have to complete another interview via Zoom.

I interviewed with the campus Principal and her team of three Assistant Principals. The interview went very well. I felt that I had a very good chance of landing the position. I was excited, but I did not want to get my hopes up too soon.

Saturday morning of the same week I interviewed, I received a message asking if I were still interested in the position. I quickly reached out to the Principal to inform her that I was indeed interested in taking the position. I was extremely excited. Finally I was taking a step in the right direction.

The following Monday I informed my current Principal about my job offer. She responded by letting me know that I needed to submit a resignation letter. I was more than happy to do so. This meant I was finally able to get away from her leadership.

I originally planned to stay on my current campus for two weeks, I only made it one. I was asked to move from my classroom and lesson plan for the upcoming weeks. This made no sense to me because my replacement was already in the classroom. I made a phone call to the district that was going to hire me to see if I could start earlier than expected. They agreed and my current district allowed me to end my contract early.

This was all great news. My exit from campus was not what I expected. There was an incident between the Principal and a teacher on my former team. I don’t want to go into detail, but it only underscored the lack of true leadership that my former Principal displayed. I was sure to voice my opinion about her leadership and the environment on that campus.

It felt great to finally be free. I was a little sad to leave a district that I had been with for fifteen years, but I was more excited about my new journey. This is going to be great…

The school year started off with an introduction to our new Assistant Principal. She appeared to be a nice person, but I was admittedly still upset about not being given a fair shot at the position. Nevertheless, I still had a job to do.

Our grade level team was still intact, which was helpful. We worked together well and collectively did our best to help students be successful. Periodically I had to remind myself of what my purpose was for doing what I do. This was a tough task when you are in an environment that you do not want to be in.

Throughout the school year there were different things that happened that tore at the fabric of our school. There were some teachers targeted for their clothing, while others were allowed to wear what they wanted. There was one teacher that had a class with several behavior issues that was not properly supported by administration. These are just a couple of examples of things that did not help to build morale.

As Spring Break was coming to an end, we received news that we would not be returning to campus. This was at the beginning stages of Covid sweeping across our country. This was in many ways a blessing for me. I would still be able to do my job, but I would not have to step foot on campus. While it was hard teaching and planning with my team virtually, it was so much better for my mental health.

Even during virtual teaching, our campus administration found ways to ruffle feathers. I had two incidents that were not pleasant and had heated exchanges with the campus Principal. Looking back, I could have handled things differently, but I was fed up.

I made it through the school year as determined as ever to not return to that campus. I reached out to a school leader to brush up on some skills that would help me advance my career. One of the pieces of advice that he gave me was to get out of my comfort zone, meaning that if I really wanted to advance my career I would need to widen my search.

I followed his advice and applied for positions that were somewhat far away from where I lived. I also spoke with another friend that worked in school leadership that gave me a piece of advice that sticks with me to this day. He told me “Whatever you do, do it with excellence”. This helped change my perspective and set me on a different path.

As the school year approached I was excited to be back. Things were different with mask requirements and social distancing. I was ready to face new challenges. One day during staff development I received a phone call unexpectedly. The call was from a school district that I had recently completed an application for….

After the announcement of the new Principal and subsequent disappointment, the search for a new Assistant Principal began. The staff was sent a survey asking about qualities that they would like in an Assistant Principal. There was even a team formed to discuss campus needs.

I debated back and forth in my mind about applying for the position. There were several teachers on campus that asked me if I was going to apply. It felt good to have the support of so many teachers, but I was still unsure. I eventually decided to give it a try and apply for the opening.

A week after the school year ended, I was offered a chance to interview for the Assistant Principal position. I was told that it would be a phone interview. This took me by surprise, but I rolled with it. When I received the phone call, I was informed that the Principal had another engagement and could not participate.

I had a feeling during the interview that this was not going to be taken seriously. The two people conducting the interview were known allies of the current Principal. I was asked maybe five questions. I hung up the phone at the end of the interview thinking it was a complete waste of time.

I received a phone call from the Principal the next day informing me that I would not be considered for the position. This was probably a good thing. Now, I needed to begin the process of preparing to teach another school year.

As the school year began to get closer, I could feel the lack of enthusiasm to return to campus grow. How was I going to make it through another year? I focused on the two things that kept me going; the students and staff members that truly cared about the work.

I finished the school year without telling anyone what was happening. I was asked several times if I was coming back the following year. I answered the question, but did not give any indication about not being in my former position.

Just before we left for summer break, I was informed that I would be teaching fourth grade Math. That summer was tough. I applied for a few positions, but was not successful in landing any of them. I did not want to go back into the classroom, but I did not have much choice.

I was not in the right frame of mind returning for the upcoming school year. I was informed that I would be the fourth grade team leader. I guess this was a consolation for my former position being dissolved. I had never taught elementary school so I had a lot to learn. The only help I got from my Principal was that I would figure it out.

The first few weeks were ok. I loved the team of teachers that I was working with. Everyone was helpful and pulled together to make things work. It took me a month to really settle in and begin to figure things out.

Midway through the school year I interviewed for the Elementary Assistant Principal pool. After years of trying, I was finally selected. This was very exciting for me. I felt like things were starting to look up.

I had a very successful first year of teaching elementary. I did not expect to enjoy what I was tasked with as much as I did. My students were mostly successful and I learned a lot.

There was a major turn of events that I did not see coming; the current Principal was leaving to take a job out of state. Weeks later I learned that the school’s current Assistant Principal was going to be named Principal. This was a decision that did not sit well with a lot of faculty members.

There was the thought that the leadership would be the same as it was before. There was not a sense that all teachers were valued. Some could do what they wanted, while others were unfairly targeted for minor things. There was one other major unknown; who would be the new Assistant Principal?

We were now midway through the school year and I began to pay attention to the way that other members of the admin team interacted with some teachers. Some people were regularly greeted, while others would have to walk directly into their path to be noticed. This did not sit well with me. I continued to do my job and try to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Some of the teachers that were not sure about me earlier in the year began to appreciate my presence. As we began to transition into the testing season, I was assigned a small group to provide math interventions. I did not see what was coming next on the horizon.

Two weeks before Spring break, the campus Principal came into my office to speak with me. I was informed that the campus would not have the funds to renew my position for the upcoming school year. This took me by surprise. My brain began to go into overdrive.

I began to think that accepting the position was a mistake. What was I going to do next? I applied for the Assistant Principal pool and also some positions outside of the district.

After I received the news, the Principal and Assistant Principal began to treat me very different. I was excluded from certain meetings where decisions for campus operations were being discussed. Communication also became strained. The whole situation escalated very quickly.

At this time I had a continuous contract with the school district, so I was not concerned about not having a job. I did not want to go back into the classroom. I began to feel defeated. What’s going to happen now?

It was official, after thirteen years of serving as a middle school Math teacher I would now be serving at an elementary school. I had mixed emotions about my new beginning. I was definitely happy to be away from my previous campus, but unclear about my path forward.

I had the opportunity to meet with my new Principal and discuss my role on campus. My official title was Student Assistance Interventionist. I was going to be over campus discipline, manage the campus 504 caseload, and co-chair the campus MTSS process. With a clear direction, I began to prepare for the quickly approaching school year.

As teachers began to arrive on campus to set up their classrooms, I made it a point to go to classrooms to introduce myself. This is going to be a great experience. Professional development week went well, but I was ready for the students to arrive.

The first few weeks were understandably quiet. Students and teachers were still getting to know each other. I spent a lot of time walking the campus to familiarize myself and several hours at lunch duty. I was able to meet and talk with several students, teachers, and parents during this time.

I’m not sure why, but there were some teachers that took a while to warm up to my presence. I did my best to communicate with parents and teachers and when handling discipline incidents, I did so using my knowledge of restorative practices. My presence eventually became wanted and appreciated by most staff.

By December, I had gotten into a groove. I was understanding the MTSS process better. I also became better at the 504 process. Discipline was a constant adjustment.

I did not think I would enjoy elementary this much, but I enjoyed getting to know students at different grade levels. I often went out to recess and could be found playing basketball or pushing students on our playground merry-go-round. I also began to get a sense of why some teachers were leery of the campus administration.

The next two school years were grueling. The school was being led by a new Principal, after the previous one was let go mid year. Teachers and other staff were not happy. There was not much to be happy about.

I applied for the Assistant Principal pool once again. Once again I was not selected. I was sad and frustrated because I was not getting the feedback I needed. Furthermore, I had no idea what I needed to improve on.

I stumbled upon videos that Principal Kafele posted on you tube. These videos provided more insight than I had ever received about what it meant to be a school leader. I began to study and prepare myself for the next phase of my career.

In early June I received a phone call to interview for a position at an elementary school. This was a chance for me to gain some administrative experience. I did not know what to expect and was unsure about moving to elementary.

The interview went well and I was beginning to warm up to the idea of serving at an elementary school. I was nervous about the new position and if I could be successful. I received a formal offer for the position a month later. There was no turning back now.

The following school year I taught seventh grade Math. Several of my former students were in my classes once again. This year was a bit different. We had over one thousand students on a campus built for nine hundred.

Teachers were asked to leave their rooms during their planning periods so that other teachers could use the room for their classes. Planning was extremely difficult. There was plenty of tension and frustration that year.

To top everything off, our former Principal had accepted another position. Our new Principal said all the right things before classes began, but quickly made a 180 once school started. Our school culture and climate took a serious hit.

That Spring I graduated from my Master’s program and passed my Principal Certification exam. I was another step closer to the next phase in my career. I began to apply for the Assistant Principal pool in the district.

I applied for the pool and was not selected. I was disappointed but still determined. Teaching was becoming frustrating because I wanted more. During this time I served as team leader but did not know much about leadership. I started to doubt myself and if I would be able to secure an administrative position.

Close to the start of the second semester I was notified that one of our sixth grade Math teachers was resigning. My Principal asked me to take over the teaching responsibilities for the teacher that resigned. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and accepted the assignment. There was just one thing that I was concerned about; I had just begun grad school.

It was a relatively smooth transition. I knew some of the students from my class from the first semester. Planning with my new colleague was going well. The challenge now was to make sure that students were receiving the instruction they deserved.

I must admit, there were times when my attention was divided. The challenge of teaching and completing my grad school assignments was a huge task. There were many late nights spent working on classroom things and completing required reading.

The rest of the school year was a success. I was able to build relationships with students, members of my team, and parents. My students performed well on their state required exam. I began to hear that one of the other Math teachers said that my former partner did a great job with the students in the class that I helped co teach the first semester.

This person was not the only one to discredit my work. I also overheard that the students that I had the second semester performed well on state exams because of the previous teacher that left in December. Wow, the things that were being said really upset me. There were some people that saw my hard work and dedication and gave me some validation. The nerve of some people…