By: Cassia Soodak
“I actually didn’t like him at all,” Allison said about her high school principal. Allison grew up in the rural South and thinks about her old principal a lot. She remembers that “he sat in his office with the door closed in a suit and you just didn’t want to have to go see him.” She also remembers that he wasn’t involved in any of the school life, just the official things. Not until Allison was an adult did she realize he was actually was “a really amazing person” who helped families who were in need with his own salary. However, because he did his entire job behind closed doors, he missed out on opportunities to impact the student body. Margaret went to a public school in New Jersey. Although in her Senior year, the principal was more open and impactful, her first three years of high school she recalls the principal was much more intimidating. She recalls that “as long as you didn’t ever have to talk to the principal, life was good.”
At the beginning of her teaching career (in 2008), Margaret was a biology teacher. When she came to LREI, she participated in teaching electives and was in the science department which at the time was only her, Sarvjit, and Preethi. Margaret got to make all the biology decisions, which she loved. However, Margaret never saw herself as principal material.
Allison started at LREI as a learning specialist in the learning center. Allison loved her job, stating, “I consider being a learning specialist my life’s work.” However, Allison explained that “when I said ‘I’m going to be a teacher’, I never thought ‘and then I’m going to be a principal.’” For her and Margaret both never envisioned becoming the principal of LREI.
Yet, here we are in 2018, and both of them are co-principals. On top of that, originally they didn’t get along so well. The summer before Allison started teaching, everyone in LREI kept on saying “‘You have to meet Margaret… ‘you’re gonna love Margaret.’” And so, when Allison finally did meet Margaret, she explained to Margaret that she heard so much about her. Margaret asked why, which Allison replied with “‘well everyone just said you’re really nice.’” Margaret then told her: “‘I’m not that nice.’” This moment stunned Allison. Now, however, they both laughed. Not only are they co-principals, but also “besties,” as Allison puts it. Margaret says “I don’t know if I could do this with anyone else. I don’t know if I would do it by myself….[but] The amount of laughter we have throughout the day makes it totally doable.” So how did they become co-principals and such close friends?
For one thing, Margaret became the dean of student life, doing a lot of the scheduling and planning, while Allison became the academic dean, organizing the classes and curriculum. They started working a lot with each other and Micah (LREI’s previous principal), becoming close friends. In addition, it was not until May that Michah announced that he would not return to LREI in 2018, which didn’t allow enough time to find a long-term replacement. For that reason, Phil offered the job as interim principal for one year to Margaret and Allison, which Allison described as “a fun surprise.” Margaret and Allison are not supposed to be making any big changes, but only keep things in order and execute what was already planned. The small everyday things, like new ideas for assemblies, they can initiate.
They both share the job as co-principals because both of them are still doing their old jobs. Margaret is still the dean of student life and Allison is still the academic dean (meaning they both still have their old offices as well). Both of their lives are also very busy, with zero free time. Allison is now getting her doctorate, while also being a mother of three. She explains “I do my homework while they do their homework.” And Margaret, who is pregnant, has a three-year-old at home and gets little sleep. Although Margaret misses being able to “geek out over science,” and Allison misses the learning center, they both love that they share this job and that it allows them to bounce ideas off of each other.
In addition, they do not want to be like most of their old principals. Their office, which is next to the front desk, has been rearranged to have a circle table, which allows for more collaborative work and conversations. Allison and Margaret want you to feel comfortable enough with them that you talk to them not just when you’re in trouble, but whenever. Because of their understanding that principals are intimidating Margaret and Allison never saw it as a role they would take on. However, since becoming principles of EI they have been working to make sure they don’t seem intimidating or removed. So feel free to go talk to them. Not everyone has as open principals as you do!