Being one of a very small number of school heads of color, I have often been asked whether I’d always wanted to be a head of school. This is usually immediately followed by “What did you do to become a head?” My honest answer is that I never knew I wanted to be a head of school. Upon reflecting over 20 years, I realize that all of the jobs I held previously were indeed important to my current role, but they didn’t create a straight line to becoming a head of school.
So, what did I do to get here? Anything that my schools needed me to do. I have taught, created, and run programs; chaired and worked on task forces and committees; volunteered, facilitated, and acted as a liaison to student clubs, parent groups, and alumni associations. I have co-chaired accreditations, coached, created new schedules, run professional development workshops. I looked at every one of these opportunities as a way to learn. It was through the years of this learning process that I also learned how to lead.
I came into this work believing I could make a difference. I initially picked education because it was an alternative to law school, but the reality was that this work picked me. The education work I have done has not always been in schools, but every job I have had has been working with students in some capacity. The variety of environments and roles has given me a wide range of perspective about students, faculty, and institutions, and has taught me that leadership is only partially about the title—titles just give you a larger perspective from which to lead, but the title alone does not make you a leader.
I now understand that leadership is a lifelong pursuit that involves the acquisition of skills, information, values, customs, beliefs, behaviors, and identity. It is both an active, intentional undertaking, and a passive, experimental phenomenon. I believe that leadership permeates life within and beyond the school community; my leadership style focuses on the intentional teaching and learning that occurs within schools–in the classrooms, on the fields, in the studios, and in the hallways. In all of these venues, leaders have the opportunity and the awesome responsibility to change lives and to shape the future for individuals and for society. It is this responsibility and what I think an educational leader should be that keeps me in education.
Journey at a Glance
A brief look at James Calleroz White’s titled jobs since college:EF Education-Regional Manager
Harvard University
-Admission Officer
-Residential Proctor for Freshmen
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Affairs at Prep for Prep
Director of College Programs at Sponsors for Educational Opportunities
Belmont Hill School (MA)
-Director of College Counseling
-Residential Dorm Parent
Phoenix Country Day School (AZ)
-Assistant Head of Upper School
-Assistant Head of School
-Director of Community Engagement
-Director of Institutional Advancement
-Associate Head of School
Louisville Collegiate School (KY)
Head of School
The Galloway School (GA)
Head of School
Visit leadership.annualconference.nais.org to see James Calleroz White and others in the independent school community speak about their leadership journeys.
What’s your leadership journey? Share it with us at [email protected], and you could be featured in the next issue.