PRINCIPALS REPRESENT BLACK EDUCATORS IN SCHOOL SYSTEM
Takeshi James, principal of Avalon Park; Michael Hinton, principal of Hoyne; and Kelly Thigpen, principal of Burnside, met at a principals
meeting and gravitated toward one another and formed a friendship
A group of Chicago Public School principals have come together to provide for their students and each other. Takeshi White James is the principal of the Avalon Park Elementary School, Kelly Thigpen is the principal of the Burnside Scholastic Academy and Michael Hinton is the principal of the Thomas Hoyne Elementary School.
James, Thigpen and Hinton met at a principals meeting and gravitated toward each other. They started talking professionally and a friendship developed.
Hinton wanted to become an educator because he saw there was a need for Black male educators. In school, he gravitated toward Black male leaders there in the schools. James was inspired to be an educator because all the educators that poured into her. Thigpen would be the teacher when she played school with her cousins and always knew she would be a teacher.
Having Black educators in schools teaching Black children is important because they can relate to the students and there is research that shows when Black students are exposed to Black educators, their outcomes are greater in their journey in college and into their careers. It can also give students a sense of hope, to see people who look like them as leaders.
“I think it is important that we continue to push agency and identity. I think it’s important for our students to see that in us, so they have more ownership of what they’re doing,” Hinton said, adding that while he had teachers of other races and ethnicities throughout school, he gravitated to the Black teachers. “I think it’s important that our kids see examples of that excellence, so they can aspire to be that.”
Thigpen, Hinton and James challenge, support, share resources and confirm each other’s thinking. Even though they are in different schools, with different situations, they understand they are all working with children and there are things they can do in common in spite of those challenges. They have each other to pull back. They talk everyday, if not several times a day.
James, Hinton and Thigpen have been principals for seven years. They’re not just principals, they’re PrinciPals. Professionally, they brought their staffs together in August. They have learned to trust each other. The trust they have for each other is great.
One thing all the principals have had to do during the pandemic is keep their students engaged. To do that, At Avalon Park, James and her staff have brought all of their passion, all of their love and all of their energy. Most importantly, they have brought empathy, giving students a second or third chance. At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, Avalon Park had 100 new students come into the school. James has to come up with opportunities for the students to come together as one.
Hinton learned to be more empathetic and look at the whole child. Something he and the staff at Hoyne were doing before the pandemic, but now it is being done at a heightened level. Focusing on the social emotional component, which was really important. Hinton made sure teachers were coming up with engaging lessons for students to participate in. It resulted in closing some learning gaps.
“Staying present. Making sure kids know we are there for them. We have an open door policy and individualized support as needed. The biggest thing was our presence, being in there and being able to address and understand the unique needs of all of our students,” Thigpen said.
When it comes to what the students need the most, they all agree it is social emotional support. Letting students know they are important and loved. The students also need a platform to be heard, to feel they have a voice and know they have a choice.
“I’ve always had an open door but I think I’ve opened it wider, not only for the students but for their families as a whole. We have to provide those opportunities for them to be heard. We have to be whatever they need us to be and help them to get the support they need to even want to do school,” James said.
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