Knew as a child she would love to be a teacher, came from a family with lots of educators, 12 year old and 14 year old boys, loves the outdoors, and she can touch her nose with her tongue (2:04)
Having great relationships with teachers is the key to getting teachers to embrace change (6:00)
You can’t force everyone to embrace innovation and technology, but if they see it modeled they will usually come around in the not too distant future (11:45)
Marie traces her career path, starting with being a middle school teacher for 6 years, to where she is today: Coordinator of Instructional Technology for the Roseville Joint Union High School District with over 10,000 students and 550 teachers (16:25)
Focus on being awesome, and you can blaze your own trail (26:00)
Surround yourself with people who are better than you to maintain your edge (33:05)
Marie’s tips for maintaining your connection to classrooms after moving into admin (39:00)
Prioritize wisely to manage your schedule, and don’t be afraid to ask for help (46:31)
Feedback from others helped Marie know she was ready to move into school leadership (52:03)
As you gain experience, you’ll get a thicker skin, learn to celebrate your successes, and you’ll employ the Q-TIP secret to help you deal with some of the negatives you’ll encounter (54:01)
Marie describes some of her favorite experiences from her admin career (58:15)
The Four C’s: Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking (1:04:37)
Always put yourself in the other’s shoes: parent, student, teacher, spouse, etc. (1:10:00)
Marie says her ability to connect with others is her greatest strength (1:10:26)
Four of Marie’s book recommendations for school leaders (1:11:04)
It’s vitally important to get into classrooms regularly and get to know students (1:12:16)
Take risks and try something new on a regular basis, even if it might fail (1:13:40)
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Gandhi (1:15:24)
If Marie had a time machine, here’s the advice she would go back and give her younger self when she was just starting out in administration (1:16:38)
Books mentioned in this episode
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work by Liz Wiseman
Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
Connect with Marie Criste
About EducatorsLead:
Educators Lead is a podcast created to help launch educators into the next level of leadership. This show is for you if you are interested in educational leadership as an assistant principal, principal, superintendent, teacher or someone who hopes to be a school leader one day. Educators Lead offers inspiration and practical advice to help you lead more effectively. Jay Willis interviews school leaders three days a week to discuss why and when these educators made the decision to move into school leadership, challenges along the journey, and stories that made it all worthwhile. Educators Lead is a great resource for any educator looking to make a greater impact.
Educate. Inspire. Lead.
