Although Erin was previously the assistant principal (AP) at Infinity, she sees the effort to revisit the mission statement as a key step in assuming leadership of the school. She frequently calls on her own past experiences as both a teacher and an AP to inform how she approaches her work, from day-to-day interactions to major strategic efforts. In that way, her principalship is a culmination of all of her previous roles.

However, only a few years ago, Walker didn鈥檛 see a principalship in her future at all. Like most 海角直播 (CPS) principals, Erin began her education career as a CPS teacher. She taught English in the district for about 16 years, and she had every expectation that she would continue growing in that role. 鈥淚 loved teaching,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 never thought I would leave the classroom.鈥� However, when an opportunity to serve as the coordinator of another high school鈥檚 International Baccalaureate program opened up, she decided to apply.

While Erin was not ultimately hired in that role, her resume garnered attention at other schools. Eventually, she was approached with a chance to interview for a role as AP at Infinity. Erin says she was still reluctant to move out of the classroom at that point; however, she took the interview, and when she was offered the job, she wanted to give it a shot.

Erin was unsure how well she would adapt to a new role in school administration. This uncertainty was amplified by her move to an entirely different school in a new neighborhood. She was initially worried that her lack of knowledge of Spanish would be an issue in a school where, according to her, a majority of students and staff are fluent in the language. However, she soon found that her enthusiasm for education followed her wherever she went: 鈥淜ids are kids,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e what make my job fulfilling, no matter what that job is.鈥�

Erin Walker brings her 16 years of classroom experience into her role as a principal.

As she settled into her new role as AP, Erin applied lessons she had learned in her many years in the classroom. Chief among the qualities she brought with her to the role was resilience, and the sense that 鈥渆verything is 鈥榝igure-out-able,鈥欌�� as she puts it. 鈥淛ust like in the classroom, you have to have a sense of humor in this job, and you have to be patient, but no problem is insurmountable. So much of the job is listening and helping teachers work these issues out.鈥�

As an AP at Infinity for about 7 1/2 years, Erin became comfortable with the structures and processes of the school. During this time, her principal helped her build some of the skills she would need to eventually take on the top role. Last year, the principalship at Infinity opened up, and her familiarity with the school, her involvement in developing its structures and procedures, and her strong relationships with the staff made her the obvious choice for promotion to that role.聽

The transition from classroom to principalship hasn鈥檛 always been what Erin expected. 鈥淲hen I was a teacher, I thought being the principal was easy,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淵ou just get to sit at your desk the whole day.鈥� Now, she says, while she doesn鈥檛 discount the difficulty of leading a classroom, she has experience with the challenges of school leadership as well. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a different kind of hard.鈥�

Even the jump from AP to principal carries new responsibilities, Erin says. As she puts it, 鈥淥ften the AP is the 鈥榞ood cop,鈥� and the principal is the 鈥榖ad cop,鈥� meaning that the responsibility for making the hard choices ultimately rests with me.鈥� Fortunately, she identified a leader on Infinity鈥檚 teaching staff to serve as her AP, and hopes to develop his skills in the same way her predecessor developed hers.

Every day, Erin brings her memories of being a classroom teacher with her through Infinity鈥檚 front doors. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e working with teachers, you can鈥檛 forget what it鈥檚 like to be a teacher,鈥� she stresses. 鈥淵ou have to remember that some days are hard, and some days are better than others. Through it all, you have to keep your focus on the students.鈥�

Her classroom days also inform Erin鈥檚 approach to leadership. 鈥淲hen you鈥檝e been a teacher, you know that as a principal, you can鈥檛 micromanage everything; you have to let teachers make their own decisions,鈥� she shares. Erin sees her strength in distributed leadership 鈥� in recognizing talent in her staff and building on their strengths. 鈥淵ou have to hire people who are smarter than you, honestly, and empower them to create their own vision that鈥檚 in alignment with the school鈥檚 vision.鈥�

Refining that school vision has been a focus for Erin as she began to think about what her principalship would look like at Infinity. As she wrapped up her first year in the role, she realized that she had an opportunity to involve all stakeholders 鈥� staff, students, and community 鈥� in laying out a vision for the whole school. That work culminated in a powerful statement: The school would cultivate 鈥渁n empowered community of inspired innovators who actively contribute to positive change in society through becoming active and socially responsible leaders; excelling in post-secondary endeavors; and navigating the evolving fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.鈥�

That vision comes through in the opportunities Infinity offers for its students. The school has long had a strong focus on STEM, and recently added an 鈥渆arly college鈥� designation, providing the ability for students to graduate with an associate鈥檚 degree from the City Colleges of Chicago. This is a selling point for the community, but Erin, her inner teacher shining through once again, naturally focuses on what it means for the kids: 鈥淚 knew that no matter what, we had to put students at the front of everything we want to do here at Infinity.鈥澛�

In 2011, Principal Kristie Langbehn was charged with the monumental task of turning around the struggling Pablo Casals Elementary School in Humboldt Park. In her very first year as a principal, together with a team of four veteran and 26 brand-new teachers, Kristie learned through trial by fire. They battled low reading scores, high poverty and a teachers鈥� strike. However, Kristie is no stranger to tough situations. 鈥淕rowing up in rural Iowa, I learned what it meant to be an underdog,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e were made fun of for being farm kids. That drives me still, proving everybody wrong.鈥�

Six years later, rebranded as , the school has achieved a 1+ rating, the highest possible for 海角直播, and students are averaging in the 97^th percentile for reading growth on the district鈥檚 standardized test. Casals and Kristie aren鈥檛 underdogs anymore.

Looking back at those first few years, Kristie is thankful that she didn鈥檛 quite know what she was getting herself into. She says, 鈥淚 underestimated the emotional piece of the job. I didn鈥檛 know I would love my school, my teachers and my kids so much that when bad things happen it would be devastating. It鈥檚 so personal.鈥� Kristie says that this personal connection motivates her even on those tough days. She starts her morning by watching Oprah鈥檚 SuperSoul Sunday or another motivational video, and shares this motivation with students during their morning meeting.

鈥淚 appreciate my teachers so much for sticking with me through some of those mistakes I made early on,鈥� Kristie says, while thinking of how far her she and her staff have come since year one. 鈥淚 think on both sides, we just gave each other grace. We were all new, we all made mistakes, but we were all in it for the children.鈥� Kristie still holds the same values today, and has hired five first-year teachers for the 2017-18 school year. 鈥淚f their hearts are in the right place and teaching is their calling,鈥� Kristie says, 鈥渢hen that鈥檚 what matters. I can teach them the instructional piece.鈥� New for this school year, veteran teachers will mentor first-year teachers to provide extra support.

Six years in, Kristie and her staff have grown tremendously and are looking for new ways to push themselves. Kristie will be joining the 2017 cohort of the . 鈥淚鈥檓 always pushing and challenging my teachers to stretch themselves and continue to learn and grow,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 felt like it was time for me to do that for myself. We got through the heavy lift of opening the school and setting the culture, so the time is right to continue my learning.鈥�

With all of the successes she鈥檚 experienced, Kristie is excited to see what successes the next six years will bring.