You became our principal last year. What did you expect?
The biggest learning curve has been working with parents. I wasn’t anticipating the extent of the support and the pushback they’ve given. When I came in and saw things that I thought weren’t as good as they could be, I was met by a lot of defensiveness, people saying that things had always been that way. But it’s sort of subsided.
Why is your job so challenging?
Making decisions with the school funding in Oregon being what it is is incredibly challenging. There’s just not enough for students. I’m already worrying about next year.
How has this year been different?
One of the things I’ve enjoyed during my second year has been the many more positive interactions that I’ve had with students. During my first year, people thought I was the enemy. It was actually painful. There were moments last year where I experienced personal attacks because of some of the proposed changes. I kept wanting to… like conjure up students from the other schools that I worked at to show how differently they felt about me. The worst was when someone asked me, “Well, who are you to be making these decisions?” I’m the principal! You don’t have to agree.
Do you think being a parent helps you as a principal?
I think that being a parent helps me work with parents. It also helps me help teachers working with kids. One of my sons is like teacher resistant. For the other one, the teacher matters much more because he has challenges during school.
Why did you decide to change Toga Day? Or was it even your decision?
It was a team decision that involved Mr. Chatard and Mr. Wilson. And I saw seniors wearing togas this year, so Toga Day isn’t dead. The tradition has been tweaked, though. From a faculty perspective, it was a much more positive culmination of a spirit week than in the past.
One thing that has caught people’s attention is the Snuggie you often wear around school. Why do you wear it?
I’m always cold! And you know, one day when I wasn’t at school Mr. Chatard was wearing a Snuggie.
What challenges are you facing right now?
I was recently diagnosed with cancer, which is really scary. I have every reason to believe that it’s going to be fine and it’s treatable. But it’s still serious and scary. I’m going to undergo chemo and radiation treatment, beginning right after Thanksgiving. Being a principal is a huge responsibility and one I take seriously. But I also know that my family is my biggest source of support, and I want to make sure I’m paying attention to them.
So what was your reaction when you were diagnosed?
I was holding out hope that they read something wrong in the tests. I think the first thing I said was, “But I have two little boys!” I was still holding out hope that it wouldn’t be cancer. I was at my craziest, though, when I wasn’t sure whether it had metastasized. I didn’t know that it hadn’t for another three days. It felt like forever.
Have you told the Grant faculty?
I shared with the faculty. I felt like I needed to. I didn’t want them to hear from everyone else. I really love working. As much as I can be present at work, that’s sort of my goal—be there as much as I can. I’ll be in and out of school for a while, and I wanted people to know why I wouldn’t always be here. It was good to tell people. When you’re going through a serious illness, it helps to tell people.
Your first husband died in 2003. How has that affected the way you are handling your cancer?
I think that having experienced significant loss is a reminder to me that every moment…and every day matters. It’s important to me that I’m not wasting time and taking advantage of each day. My sons, they’re scared, but they think I’m resilient, and they know I’m a fighter. When I’m at work, I try to absorb all the good energy from the teenagers who are thinking about things they should be thinking about and not their mortality.
How do you feel about the future?
With absolute resolve that I’m going to beat this. But I also want to have a sense of humor about it. I plan to make my mark via wigs. I’m going to have to wear a blue wig for Grant spirit. I’m being optimistic about it. I want to see my young boys turn into young men. And I want to see this country figure out something better to do with public education. And I will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. And there are still many shoes I would like to possess. There are too many shoes left unpurchased.
Check out the rest of our Time With interviews for more brief snapshots of Grant community members.
