Partnering with Teachers
Supporting students begins by partnering with the teachers who invest in them every day. When we listen to teachers, value their experience, and volunteer alongside them, students have the greatest opportunity to succeed.
Letting Go
I'll be honest—the first time my wife, Kristina, and I dropped our son, Wyatt, off at school, I fought back tears. As I watched him walk inside, one thought stayed with me:
These are the people who are going to help shape my son.
I had been a stay-at-home dad, and watching him walk through those school doors without me was one of the hardest moments I've experienced as a parent because I knew I had to let go.
As Kristina and I walked back to the house that morning, I kept thinking about how much had changed. For the first time, Wyatt would spend much of his day surrounded by people we were only beginning to know.
I realized my role as Wyatt's dad was changing, and I wanted to become part of the community helping shape his childhood.
Which led me to one simple question:
How could I help?
I decided the best place to help was by showing up where I could. And that was at the monthly Parent-Teacher Group meetings.
I wasn't looking to make changes.
I wasn't looking for a leadership position.
I simply wanted to support my son and his school.
Over time, letting go became easier as relationships grew and trust began to take its place.
Trusted Partners
One of the greatest privileges of serving as President of Central Elementary's Parent-Teacher Group has been the opportunity to support the teachers and staff who have invested so much in my son and so many other students.
The more I got to know Wyatt's teachers, the more I realized they weren't simply teaching my son. They were encouraging him, celebrating his successes, recognizing when he needed a little extra help, and helping shape the person he was becoming.
They had become trusted partners in helping raise my son. And that realization led me to ask a simple question:
How can we better support the people who support our students?
Working alongside our principal and teacher representative, and listening to the needs of our staff, I began to see the school from a different perspective. The more I listened to the people closest to the work, the more I began to understand the culture of the school—and the clearer it became that supporting teachers is one of the best ways to support students.
We invested in classrooms through grants, instructional materials, technology, and sensory-room improvements.
We invested in learning beyond the classroom by funding field trips that gave teachers new opportunities to bring learning to life for their students.
And we invested in the people who support our students by providing parent-teacher conference meals, celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week, and improving staff spaces.
Over three years, Central’s Parent-teacher Group has invested an estimated $30,000–$40,000 in supporting teachers and classrooms.
That experience reinforced something I've come to believe: supporting teachers isn't separate from supporting students—they go hand in hand. When teachers have the resources they need, students have greater opportunities to learn.
Why I’m Running
When Wyatt started school, I thought my role as a parent was simply to support my son. Over time, I realized something much bigger.
The more I've listened to teachers and staff, the more I've learned about what students need, what makes our schools work, and where we can better support the people who care for our children every day.
That experience has shaped the way I approach leadership.