KATIE BAKER

NEW HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL BRINGS IDEAS AND EXPERIENCE

“I believe that we all have toolboxes. A teacher I once worked with said to me, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather. You just don’t have the right clothes for it.’ To me, a toolbox is the same as having the right clothes available for the weather that comes your way. Having the right tools to pull from at the right time is crucial to success, as is being thoughtful and deliberate about building an effective toolbox.”

As Interim Co-Head of Middle School, (a job and title she shared with Trent Tormeohlen) Katie Baker successfully traversed a difficult 2020-21 school year. It involved, among dozens of other things, figuring out, under the difficult circumstances of being an interim leader in a year of COVID, how to make the year fulfilling for students, be supportive of teachers, and be a person who as seamlessly as possible makes Sycamore’s Middle School run smoothly. As the school year came to a close, and the 8th Grade Graduation ceremonies provided a bittersweet yet joyous ending, it really was a “we made it” kind of moment. For Baker it is an end and a beginning. “There’s been a successful balance this year of being productive while navigating another transitional year with some small changes that have had a big impact. This is especially important as we will be moving forward with uncertainty regarding COVID. Next year, it will be important to continue to foster a school climate of positivity, consistency, and predictability for students, parents, and faculty, while moving forward with a ‘small-change, big-impact’ frame of mind.” Baker, who has been at Sycamore School for 20 years as a teacher, had a desire to move into a leadership role. “I have been thinking about administration for a few years, and the interim position was an opportunity to see if it was a good fit, both professionally and personally, knowing that the opportunity to apply for the permanent position was a possibility.” Baker says she has enjoyed being a change agent and making a broader impact in the role over the past year. “There are many

aspects of the Head of Middle School position that are invigorating to me. I’ve enjoyed big-picture and creative thinking that leads to idea generation and problem solving, diving into curriculum across grade levels and subjects, working with gifted Middle School students in this new capacity, and guiding the exceptional Middle School faculty.” With new leadership comes the balance of keeping the right things the same, and making adjustments in other areas. As Baker takes inventory of Sycamore’s needs, she is able to lean on the recent years of steady leadership that have accumulated talented teachers and built a strong curriculum. “The curriculum and the teachers are strengths of the Middle School,” she says. “The teachers understand our gifted students and work hard to develop and deliver curriculum in a way that is engaging to students and provides them opportunities to be challenged while finding success in their learning. We want to expose students to a variety of topics and experiences so they have deep content understanding, providing them a broad foundation from which to grow and develop their individual passions.” Baker also wants to build on the successes of Sycamore. “One of Diane Borgamann’s mantras is ‘We are too good not to be better,’ and it is a philosophy that I believe in deeply,” she says. “Idea generation and problem solving through creative thinking is invigorating to me. Much of this is rooted in the philosophy of improvement, and not just for change’s sake, but for efficiency, effectiveness, increased engagement, and achievement of goals. I’d like to focus my attention on the Middle School Advisory program, the student transition periods in Middle School, and faculty camaraderie.” Originally started seven years ago, the Middle School Advisory program evolved from a program called Discussion Group. Baker says she would like to spend time discussing the Advisory Program with faculty, determining its purpose and goals, as well as what it should look and feel like in action. “The Advisory Program was developed based on the needs of the Middle School at that time, and these goals and philosophies haven’t been revisited since its inception. Based on these discussions, we can work on aligning what we currently do to what we want to do.” One of the most important things that happens in Middle School is a transitioning of students into a new area. For Sycamore, Baker says there are three distinct transitions in Middle School: from Lower School’s 4th to Middle School’s 5th grade; from the younger end of Middle School to the older end in 7th grade; and the transition out of Middle School from 8th to high school. “I would like to spend some concentrated time with both the 5th and 7th Grade teachers to identify ways in which we can ease this transition for students and how we can scaffold skills for students so they experience success during these transitions. Duane Emery, Sycamore’s Director of Enrollment Management, and I plan to spend time this summer working on ways we can also better support parents and students as they begin thinking about and working on applying to high school.” As a teacher and now administrator, Baker has had leadership models and role models and their lessons that she has leaned on, and she says those lessons will be the ones she carries with her as she moves into her first full year as Head of Middle School. “Many teachers and administrators have shaped my philosophies, ideas, and actions,” she says. “As a teacher, I appreciated working under an administrator who didn’t necessarily dream for me, but instead, was an agent to allow me to dream. I was given opportunities to explore my professional passions, permission to try new things, support when I needed to reflect, head in a different direction, or talk through my ideas. As I think about how to help teachers be their best selves, this leadership style comes to the forefront of my mind. I am looking forward to and am excited about this new challenge of leading a program that continues to meet the needs of gifted Middle School students in future years.” • We want to expose students to a variety of topics and experiences so they have deep content understanding, providing them a broad foundation from which to grow and develop their individual passions.

KATIE BAKER