Leadership Connector, Support

Leadership Connector, Support

Support is to a teacher as a bottle is to a baby. We all need support and we all yearn for it at our sites. I remember when I was hired at Buchanan and my mentor Mary Noga on the very first day of school came to my room. She could tell I was very, very nervous so she offered kind words and told me I would be fine. Later during the same year, she came to observe my classroom and when she left the class I found a note on my computer that read, “you are a very good teacher and we are lucky to have you.” She totally lifted me to new heights that day. I was so moved by her powerful words that I sat down and tears swelled in my eyes and I still have this message in my desk. What Mary didn’t know was that I had not been supported like that at my previous job site, in fact no one had ever told me I was a good teacher.  Therefore, support builds relationships and my relationship with my mentor was a very unique one. Because of her support, I felt a part of the Buchanan family, Clovis Unified, and the community.   Because of her support, she validated me as a professional, she valued my teaching style, and she welcomed others to believe in me. As a teacher, I tell my students that I believe in them and I am there to support them to be successful just as I have experienced support. As an administrator, I hope one day that I will be able to lift my staff to new heights as well.

Ronda Turney