Highlighting an OAESA Hero

a conversation with OAESA Zone 2 Director Chad Hinton

Tell us about your background and current position.

This is my 26th year in education. I am currently serving as the Principal of Marshall Elementary School in the Talawanda School District which is located around Oxford, Ohio. Prior to this position I was a middle school math teacher for 7 years in the Mad River School District near Dayton. So, if you have done the math correctly, this is my 19th year as Principal at Marshall and I have enjoyed every year. Being in one place for that long, you learn just how much we continue to grow and change as educators. Our students keep changing too and something that used to work in the past may not be the best thing for students today.

What do you view as your most important contribution to the day-today operations of your school?

Supporting students, teachers, and staff in meeting the needs of our students. Most days lately I feel like I am putting out fires. The needs of our students to regulate their emotions and being able to attend to their mental health seems to be the driving factor for the day to day. Balancing those immediate needs with the need to keep us focused on our vision are the most important things I work on.

If we interviewed your staff, what are three words they’d use to describe you? Why?

Problem Solver – I try to look for solutions. I am not always able to solve every problem because it might require resources (time, money, or personnel) that we don’t have but we will look at what can we do.

Flexible – I am always willing to work with others. I understand that we all have many things on our plate and while we all still have a job to do we are not going to be effective if we feel like we are pulled in too many directions.

Master Scheduler – I think the math background plays into this one but I think most people know that I can see all of the moving parts when scheduling classes or events.

What are you excited about for this year? In what area(s) are you hoping to grow?

Honestly, I am excited about getting back to “normal” if there is such a thing. We have been so distracted from the vision and mission of educating students with tasks. It is nice that we are getting back to having discussions about student learning. What’s working and what’s not? What can we do differently? What results are we getting? As I am writing this, we just finished a PD day where as a staff we reviewed data, talked about things that we can do to address the needs of our students, and it was so great to see staff connecting with each other and sharing resources. I want to continue to grow in my ability to guide us in a common direction and keep us motived to keep moving forward.

Congratulations on serving on the OAESA Board as the Zone 2 Director. How long have you been on the board? Why did you join?

This is my third year on the OAESA board. I first became involved with OAESA in the entry year principal program. I then spent several years mostly connecting with principals in my area. It wasn’t until I attended the OAESA Annual Conference about 8 years ago that I realized the power of connecting across the state. This is why I was so glad that the conference was back in person this past year.

This issue focuses on recruiting, supporting, and retaining educators in the field. How have you worked to address these issues in your building?

As far as recruiting, I talk with other administrators to gain leads on potential candidates. I support educators by connecting them to resources whether that be subject area coaches, mentors, grade level teams, or observing staff members with particular strengths. And I work to retain educators through supports and coaching as well as giving them the space to grow as individuals.

What are some of your nonnegotiables (educational and/ or personal) in your approach to education and building leadership?

Learn from your mistakes and strive to always be better. We work in a very demanding profession with lots of moving and changing parts. We will not be perfect all the time and what worked for some might not work for others, but if we reflect on what we are doing and how our students are performing we can make changes to grow our students.

Could you share any advice or words of wisdom for those who might be considering an administrative role? Why should they make this professional leap?

Be flexible and talk with others. It can be lonely, especially if you are the only administrator in the building. Build a strong leadership team of teachers in your building. Every day is an adventure and you can make a difference in the lives of many students.

HigHligHting an oaeSa Hero!

THE BASICS

FAMILY MEMBERS?

My wife, Michelle, son, Grayson, and a dachshund named Mando

YEARS IN THE CLASSROOM? YEARS IN ADMINISTRATION?

7 in the classroom, 19 as an administrator

EMERGENCY DESK FOOD?

The cafeteria staff would tell you Doritos.

PERSONAL MANTRA? Keep Moving Forward

FAVORITE MEMORY FROM BEING A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL?

Too many to count but most of them are the connections made with students.

FAVORITE HOBBIES?

Traveling (you could call us a Disney family)

UP NEXT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

Trip to Europe with the family

BEST DECISION?

Attending Miami University because that’s where I met my wife and that set the direction for the rest of my life.

WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A STUDENT?

Fairly quiet and shy--did not like to talk in front of others.

FAVORITE OAESA EVENT?

The Annual Professional Conference or any event that connects Principals

it ’ S okay to look Forward

BY CARRIE J. SANCHEZ

“ It’s because you have ‘Survivor’s Guilt’,” Principal EL (Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, EdD) told me that unseasonably hot June evening just before the annual OAESA Professional Conference in Columbus, Ohio.

He was right. I was carrying this incredibly heavy and yet equally balanced emotional load of both purpose and guilt and in one short sentence he summed up everything I had been trying to sort out. At the conclusion of my 26th year as an educator and my 13th year as a building principal, I had accepted a new position as Director of Leadership and Learning for the North Point Educational Service Center. I knew that this was the right decision for my career, my goals, my family and myself...but I also carried this indescribable guilt for leaving a school and a district that I deeply loved. That was my school. Those were my teachers. Those were my kids. Was I abandoning them? Was I quitting? Did I give up? No, absolutely not!

After my discussion with Principal EL, I set out on a mission to clarify my “WHY”. Just as Simon Sinek teaches, “Our WHY is our purpose, cause or belief—the driving force behind everything we do.” Throughout the course of my career, my WHY has evolved. However, that evolution has not always been comfortable or easy. Tim Kight calls it Productive Discomfort. While living it, I just now call it LIFE. My professional WHY is simply this: I believe in education and I want to help people. Through my soul searching and self-reflection I was able to clarify these points: I became a teacher, because I wanted to help kids. I became a principal, because I wanted to help teachers and kids. I became a Director, because I want to help principals (actually all administrators), teachers, and kids.

When I say it like that, it actually does not feel so dramatic, rather, it seems to have a natural progression and simple clarity. It is this clarity that eliminates the unfound guilt and gives me peace. I love the work of education. I genuinely love the impact it has on all of humanity. My joy comes from helping others and my work & experience has brought me to a place where I can do that on a level I never anticipated.

Educators are in their present roles because of the specific season of their careers. There are no timelines. There are no ‘expectations’ other than those we put on ourselves.

If you have read this far I gently offer this simple suggestion: Love the season you are in and enjoy every moment. To simply pursue greener pastures will only result in frustration, anxiety and discontent. Allow yourself to pursue new challenges and realize that you are taking WITH you every bit of experience and every relationship you have built. Allow yourself to enjoy contentment in your current season. While there are struggles and challenges in every role, every role is wonderful in its very own way.

Carrie Sanchez is the Director of Leadership and Learning for the North Point Educational Service Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Carrie is the 2022-2023 president of OAESA as well as an adjunct instructor for the Graduate School of Teaching and Learning at Bowling Green State University and the Program Director for Leadership Ottawa County. Following thirteen years as a classroom teacher, Carrie served the Port Clinton City School District as Middle School Principal from 2009 - 2022. You can contact Carrie via email, csanchez@npesc.org, Twitter, @carriejsanchez, or learn more about her at: carriesanchez.com.

2023 OAESA Professional Conference & Trade Show June 14-16, 2023 • Nationwide Hotel & Conference Center

Stay Gold

H O N O R I N G O U R P A S T . I N S P I R I N G Y O U R F U T U R E .

In 1924, Katherine M. Mansfield, secretary of the Canton Women Principals Club, proposed a resolution urging for the creation of a state organization for elementary principals...

We need each other. We need our ideas checked up with those of others throughout the state. A state organization would represent the collective power of all and would do for each of us what we could not achieve ourselves.

Almost 100 years later, we continue to hear similar refrains from administrators across the state. Hone your craft with educators across Ohio as we work together to stay current amid the constantly shifting educational landscape. As educators, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to professional growth, collegial collaboration, and excellence in education.

FEATURED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Carrie Sanchez

Director of Leadership and Learning, North Point ESC

Dr. Anthony Muhammad

CEO, New Frontier 21 Consulting and Best-Selling Author

Jared Orton

President, Savannah Bananas Baseball Team

Join us June 14-16, 2023 at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio for OAESA's 66th Annual Professional Conference and Trade Show, Stay Gold: Honoring Our Past. Inspiring Your Future.

SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2023 EVENT AND REGISTER!