The Puzzle: Blog

Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau is Head of School at University Prep in Seattle, WA.

 

1. What is the core of your current job, on a day-to-day basis?

I would describe my job as raising money, setting a strategic vision for the school, and creating an identity for the school. Really, I wake up in the morning and check my email before doing anything else to see if anything needs to be addressed immediately. Then I come in, check email, and check in with my Senior Leadership Team to see if they need anything. I am crosswalk duty or greeting students every morning because that is sometimes the only time I get to see kids aside from advisory.

A huge part of my job is creating an environment where teachers feel safe and cared for. This is harder than it used to be because of COVID-19. Pastoral care is four times as large as it used to be five years ago.

I also need to work with my Board and see what makes them tick, and how can I support them as trustees.

2. What was your first job in education? What are the major steps you’ve taken since then?

I was a teaching intern at The Park School in Massachusetts. I apprenticed to a seventh and eighth grade English teacher in the fall and then I did kindergarten and PE in the spring. We had to choose something out of our comfort zone, and PE and younger kids were out of my comfort zone. The next fall, I taught my own classes under the watchful eye of the lead teacher. Before I could begin the process to apply for other jobs, the school hired me. I stayed there for four years. I did diversity work for them and taught English to grades six and seven and had a sixth grade homeroom. All the new teachers also coached and I coached cross country while I was there.

3. Have you had a career detour or surprise that has—perhaps in retrospect—served you well?

I thought having my first kid was a little bit of a detour. I had wanted to get pregnant, but was concerned that I would miss professional opportunities. In essence, becoming a mother made me a good school leader.

Moving to California also seemed like a detour at the time. I didn’t think I would ever leave my first school and my husband got a job in southern California so I had to move. Because we moved, I got my first leadership position. Sometimes you need to take the chance and follow the person you love, and know that you will also find your place.

This is not exactly related to the question, but is important: Know when it’s your time to go. Know when you job is done. My job was done at Evergreen [my previous school]. I could have stayed another ten years, but I wasn’t doing much to change the school. I had a division head who had great ideas that could move the school forward who is now the head. It is okay to know when you need to know.

4. What is something you learned about yourself through your current role and/or the leadership positions you have held?

I’ve learned to have thick skin and that the “I” doesn’t matter. Everything I do, I do for the school, and not for me. This was hard for me to learn because when I started out, I wanted to take all the glory and credit. Someone told me that everything I do I do for the school and that I may not get credit.

I’ve learned that I am resilient. I honestly did not know if I would make it through the pandemic. Everything I did was not right for a large group of people, I had to learn to stand in the middle and to bring the two sides together so that they were both satisfied.

I’ve learned that I cannot do this work alone and that I need colleagues that can guide and support me and that I can guide and support. I’ve learned the meaning of friendship. I’ve learned to see when I need to step back and say it’s time for me to go home for the day.

5. Where do you look for inspiration, support, and advice? Perhaps a specific person, group of people, author, thought leader, or community?

I look to Maya Angelou. She has always been a source of inspiration to me. Whenever I need a quote for inspiration, I pick up something she’s written. And reading the book “Becoming” by Michelle Obama changed me during the pandemic. I saw that anyone can change the world and make a difference.

I have two local heads of school who I am close to. We call each other regularly and make each other laugh. I also have a diversity consultant who inspires me.

My husband and kids put up with me and are always there for with me. Home is the safest place in my life.

6. What is the best career advice you have received? From whom?

Reveta Bowers told me that if you are looking to go up onto the next rung in the ladder, you have to imagine yourself in that job. When I was thinking about my first administrative post, I would walk by the seventh grade dean’s office and imagine myself sitting in there and making the decisions. Then, I got that job. Sometimes the vision will be clear. Sometimes the vision will be murky and it means you have to work harder to get there.

Tom Hudnut told me that as long as you work hard and believe in yourself, no dream is too big to dream.

7. On your best days at work, what are you doing? What aspects of your job bring your particular joy?

I love public speaking and engaging people in the story of my school. On my best days, I’ve led an admissions coffee and a campaign coffee, have been cheering on kids at athletic events or meeting with my advisory, and participated a really good faculty meeting. I am energized by the experience of bringing other people along with me. I am like the Pied Piper of Hamlin.

8. We’ve all heard plenty about the need for self-care over the past few years. How do you relax and recharge?

At the end of every day of work, I do four laps around Dahl Field [across the street from UPrep]. I try to make a gap between leaving work and going home. I do jigsaw puzzles, read, and binge watch really good shows.

9. What advice would you share with those aspiring to leadership? What advice would you give your younger self?

If you are aspiring to leadership, first of all you have to understand that that job of head of school is hard. Don’t go into it for the money. It is stressful and takes you away from your family. You will sleep less, eat less, and exercise less, but there is a sense of satisfaction that you will get from doing the work. You cannot be someone who shies away from hard conversations and have to learn to sometimes agree to disagree.

Get someone you can talk to – a mentor, sponsor, or colleague outside of your school. Find someone you can relive moments of you day to get advice. Find someone who will tell you that you did that right, or you need to call that person back and fix it. You have to be able to take feedback. It is good, is positive, brings change, and can hurt sometimes. You have to understand all this before taking the job.

10. What’s the last great book you read?

“The Death of Vivek Oji” by Akwaeke Emezi. It’s about a boy growing up in Nigeria. He is part Nigerian and Indian, and transgender. As he gets older, he starts wearing female clothing. It is the story of his relationship with his cousin who is gay. They both hide their identities from each other. Vivek dies at the hand of his cousin by mistake. It’s intense but really good. For me, I grew up in Barbados where it is illegal to be gay. I like to dig into this subject. As a West Indian woman raising a gay son, I want to understand the culture, why it is the way it is. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

11. Is there anything else you wanted to share?

I’d like to see more women do this job and believe they can do it when their kids are young. My kids were seven and ten when I got my first headship. They are successful and well-rounded adults who never felt neglected. This outcome would not be questioned if I were male. I still make time to cook a big Sunday dinner for my family.

Even in 2022, I still feel like I have to push my way up a ladder to get my voice heard. It is a very male field, especially if you are not an elementary head. We have a lot of men in high school. Schools seem to be hiring diverse men, but not as many women.

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