Kim Mauck was hired as the principal for Mill Creek Upper Elementary in 2005. She is currently in her 11th year of administration for the Belton School District. Kim started her teaching career as a 9th grade language arts teacher and then was hired as an assistant principal with in the Lee Summit School District. She received her Masters in Administration from the University of Central Missouri and is currently perusing her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration through St. Louis University.
I scheduled a meeting with my Principal, Kim Mauck, through email to discuss school communication. We met in her office from 12:45 – 1:40. I asked her a series of questions and she answered them using her own leadership experience. Our conversation …show more content…
Remind 101 has been a lifesaver for Kim this year. She has 245 families signed up to receive texts from her remind account. Mill Creek also has a twitter account, website, and Facebook page.
9. How do you communicate to the Superintendent?
a. Kim tries to keep communication with the Superintendent to the minimum. She wants to be seen as a self-sufficient principal who can make decisions on her and does not need to always ask for help. She will contact the Superintendent when he initiates communication, face-to-face conversations, emergency situations, or when a student is put on long-term suspension.
10. Are there any lessons you would share regarding conflict resolution skills?
a. In any conflict situation always seek to understand. Everyone wants their voice to be heard. See every person with a positive intent, isn’t that what we do with kids? Why wouldn’t we do that with adults? When teachers are in a tough situation, let them figure out how to get out of it. Never give a teacher a concrete solution because if it would fall through the principal would be the one to blame. Don’t take everything personally. People are not going to like you for the sole reason that you are the principal. Don’t be afraid to have a strong conversation with anyone. Be direct and if they don’t comply write them up. Negativity is toxic in a work place. You have to know when to speak and when to keep your mouth …show more content…
Kim had an “ah-ha” moment when she was first introducing PBIS to the Mill Creek staff. They were trying to come up with expectations for the building, particularly what noise level the hallways should be. It took hours to have everyone’s voice to be heard but after that she realized how important collaboration is. Kim uses a lot of surveys so that staff can have choice in their professional development days.
Analysis
Mill Creek does a wonderful job of communicating to parents. Remind 101 and Facebook have helped keep parents up to date on their students learning. Kim has a way of making people instantly feel comfortable and heard. She is skilled in deescalating situations and is not afraid of conflict. She is very direct and handles problems with staff members quickly. Negativity is not something that is going to be tolerated at Mill Creek. I admire her communication skills and respect her as Mill Creek’s principal. It was evident that Mill Creek is lacking community involvement. Our school does work with Carnage Village and the local community center but I would like to see participation with more community members. As a future administrator I will identify key members in our community and invite them into the school or classroom to teach students about their job or trade. I think this would not only benefit our students but the community as
I scheduled a meeting with my Principal, Kim Mauck, through email to discuss school communication. We met in her office from 12:45 – 1:40. I asked her a series of questions and she answered them using her own leadership experience. Our conversation …show more content…
Remind 101 has been a lifesaver for Kim this year. She has 245 families signed up to receive texts from her remind account. Mill Creek also has a twitter account, website, and Facebook page.
9. How do you communicate to the Superintendent?
a. Kim tries to keep communication with the Superintendent to the minimum. She wants to be seen as a self-sufficient principal who can make decisions on her and does not need to always ask for help. She will contact the Superintendent when he initiates communication, face-to-face conversations, emergency situations, or when a student is put on long-term suspension.
10. Are there any lessons you would share regarding conflict resolution skills?
a. In any conflict situation always seek to understand. Everyone wants their voice to be heard. See every person with a positive intent, isn’t that what we do with kids? Why wouldn’t we do that with adults? When teachers are in a tough situation, let them figure out how to get out of it. Never give a teacher a concrete solution because if it would fall through the principal would be the one to blame. Don’t take everything personally. People are not going to like you for the sole reason that you are the principal. Don’t be afraid to have a strong conversation with anyone. Be direct and if they don’t comply write them up. Negativity is toxic in a work place. You have to know when to speak and when to keep your mouth …show more content…
Kim had an “ah-ha” moment when she was first introducing PBIS to the Mill Creek staff. They were trying to come up with expectations for the building, particularly what noise level the hallways should be. It took hours to have everyone’s voice to be heard but after that she realized how important collaboration is. Kim uses a lot of surveys so that staff can have choice in their professional development days.
Analysis
Mill Creek does a wonderful job of communicating to parents. Remind 101 and Facebook have helped keep parents up to date on their students learning. Kim has a way of making people instantly feel comfortable and heard. She is skilled in deescalating situations and is not afraid of conflict. She is very direct and handles problems with staff members quickly. Negativity is not something that is going to be tolerated at Mill Creek. I admire her communication skills and respect her as Mill Creek’s principal. It was evident that Mill Creek is lacking community involvement. Our school does work with Carnage Village and the local community center but I would like to see participation with more community members. As a future administrator I will identify key members in our community and invite them into the school or classroom to teach students about their job or trade. I think this would not only benefit our students but the community as