September 3, 2024 • 10 mins
Welcome to another exciting episode of Endless Possibilities, where we dive into the latest happenings in the Tipton County School System. This week, we introduce two dynamic new principals who are ready to make a significant impact on their respective schools.
Carlin McGlown, the new principal at Covington High School, shares her journey from a teacher to a district-wide instructional facilitator and now leading the Chargers. She discusses the challenges and rewards of stepping into the principal role, emphasizing her focus on academic excellence and ACT preparation.
Melanie Johnson, the principal at Brighton Elementary School, talks about her long-standing connection with BES and her transition from assistant principal to principal. She highlights her goals of building literacy confidence and fostering strong relationships within the school community.
Both principals reflect on the differences between being an assistant principal and a principal, the day-to-day hustle of school leadership, and their excitement for the upcoming school year. Tune in to hear their inspiring stories and learn about their plans to enhance student learning and school culture.
Don't miss this insightful conversation on leadership, education, and the bright future of Tipton County schools!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:26):
Welcome to another edition of Endless Possibilities, where we talk about everything
Tifton County school system.
So today I got two fine guests here.
We have two new principals in the county, and I'm going to let them introduce
themselves and what school that they are a principal at.
Hi, my name is Karlyn McGlown. I'm at Covington High School.
(00:47):
I began my career in Tifton County at Mumford Middle.
I was a teacher there for seven years and then an assistant principal there for three years.
And then I moved over to the central office as a district-wide instructional
facilitator. And now back in the school building at Covington High. Go Chargers.
Good morning. My name is Melanie Johnson. I am principal at Brighton Elementary School.
(01:09):
I began my career at Brighton Elementary as a fourth grade teacher.
I also taught fifth grade at BES and then became assistant principal.
This is my first year to step into the principal position, but I feel that BES is definitely my home.
Have you found out as principals that it's very challenging?
(01:31):
Leadership is a big thing. And whether you like it or not, my motto is everything
falls and rises with leadership.
It's kind of like a sports team where you have the coaches and you have the
players, and it's your job to make all of these moving elements come together.
And I know that's very hard. So how has the first few weeks of school been for you?
(01:52):
Yeah, so at Covington High School, it's been a lot of hustle and bustle.
We started with laptop distributions and class meetings and schedule adjustments
and just getting students reacclimated to school life from their nice long summer break.
But now we're settling. We have our Dyersburg State and UT Martin students.
They're settled and going. They begin August the 26th.
(02:14):
So everybody's settling in and the hustle and bustle is coming to a slow,
slow move, slow moving group.
You know, Carlin, I can relate to that because our first few weeks have been
very hustle and bustle, but also exciting.
We've welcomed new pre-K students who are coming to school for the first time,
new kindergarten students, new students into our county, into Tipton County.
(02:41):
We also have five new teachers, new teaching assistants, and a new assistant principal.
It's been really great to see everybody coming together as a team.
So both of you have served as assistant principals, and now you are principals.
Compare those two jobs. What are the differences?
Were you really prepared for what you were about to get into?
(03:03):
Or were there things that a principal did that you just really wasn't aware
of until you took that job? I don't think you're ever prepared.
I read books. I listened to podcasts. I've done it all.
I don't think you're ever prepared for the weight that sits on your shoulders. It's heavy.
And so as a principal, you have the opportunity to lay out the vision for the school.
(03:25):
And that's different from an assistant principal because as an assistant principal,
essentially you're just assisting the principal in their vision,
but you have a greater impact and a greater reach.
And as an AP, I dealt heavily in one subject, but as a principal,
you're involved with all.
And this is the part that I like the best though. It's really rewarding to know
that, you know, I'm the model for what I'm expecting for my staff and my students. Correct.
(03:50):
So as I aim to walk in integrity-
I'm modeling that for them consistently day by day.
I think that's a great point, by the way, because if you're asking teachers
to do certain things to see you actually doing those things, it transfers better.
What about you, Mel? I agree 100 percent. You have to model every day.
(04:11):
You have to set those expectations high and you just have to lead with integrity.
Like you said, I think stepping into the principalship has been challenging, but yet rewarding.
I feel like I can build better relationships with my staff and with the students.
I can mentor them and we can work together to set new learning goals.
(04:36):
But it is definitely a challenge with all the decisions in the day to day hustle
and bustle. Yes, ma'am. Absolutely.
So if you you've came into the school system, is there any specific areas as
you evaluate what's going on that you would like to focus on more?
Yeah. For Covington High School, we have a laser focus on all aspects of academics
(04:58):
this year, but particularly ACT.
We created an ACT committee. We've outlined a plan to bring more awareness as
well as some incentives for effort and achievement.
We've also connected with the middle school to work on ways to better prepare
our students for ACT, to discuss with them some post-secondary opportunities,
and just start having those types of conversations in middle school.
(05:20):
Our career counselor will present to the 7th and 8th graders in the upcoming
weeks about the importance of the ACT and how they can begin preparing now,
as well as those EPSO opportunities here at the high school.
So that is our focus. ACT is a big focus for us, as well as all areas of academics.
We are also focusing, of course, on all of our test scores and helping them to go up.
(05:43):
But one main focus is building literacy confidence in our students.
We want them to know that they can do it even when they're struggling.
We want to build that confidence.
We want to focus on student learning strengths and student learning challenges
to see how they best learn.
And we are working to incorporate more interactive lessons, especially in our
(06:07):
math, science, and social studies classes. I love that.
We were talking before we started
recording, and Carlin, you said recently there was a football game.
And you look down at your clock, and next thing you know, you're getting home
at close to 9 o'clock. So it's a lot of hours.
It is a lot of hours. It's not just 7 to 3 or whatever. It goes far sometimes
(06:29):
into the night. What does a day look like for a principal?
Oh, goodness. So that day.
There are those days. That day, yeah. There's a day and there's that day.
That day I got there maybe about 5.50 that morning.
I turned my computer on, got to answering emails.
So I stand in the front usually with the buses coming in, and I speak to students and greet them.
(06:53):
They get a hearty good morning from me.
I'm a morning person, so sometimes they –.
Say good morning sometimes they just kind of look at me crazy they
come in i noticed driving the bus in the
afternoon everybody's wired and fired up but in the morning nobody's
saying a word i'm telling you so i go in the cafeteria usually greet students
and and then the day it really begins it's morning announcements it's getting
(07:17):
students to class and making sure that the hallways are clear and everybody's
where they're needing to be and then i may have appointments or phone calls I need to make.
Every day I try to get into a classroom for instruction.
That is my goal. I'm not going to let a day go by without being involved in
instruction because I'm instructionally focused. That's what I'm there for.
And so that has been the joy of being there so far. It really has. Being in classes.
(07:44):
I walked into the Spanish class the other day and through the third day of class,
they had already learned the days of the week. Spanish one, days of the week.
They learned the colors. They learned some phrases and they were so excited
to share with me what they had learned.
That is the day of a principal. And it may go on into Friday night light.
So I may have to change into my tennis shoes. And it is a really good day.
(08:06):
It's a really good day. It's a really good job.
It sounds a lot like elementary school. We just kind of follow the same pattern.
We have a rival. I either work in the cafeteria with the kids eating breakfast
or outside at car riders or buses greeting the students as they come in.
It is our main goal to visit those classrooms a lot.
(08:29):
And sometimes it takes a few hurdles for us to get in those classrooms because
other problems do arise.
But, you know, when I get to school, you just never know what you face that
day, what challenge may come up.
And I often say we just had to put out a few little fires before we really dug
in that day. But it's great.
(08:50):
It's never the same day, day after day. It is a wonderful job to be in. It is.
You come to work and you have a plan, but you as a principal and as a leader,
you've got to be willing to adjust your plan to deal with whatever arises.
Absolutely. And when you have a lot of kids, and I know that your schools do,
there are a lot of fires, a lot of things pop up that were unexpected.
(09:13):
And you have to multitask and make sure those things are taken care of.
And that makes a good leader. Right.
So is there any specific thing that you're excited about as a new principal for this coming year?
I know for me, it's just building those relationships.
With the students and the staff. I joke a lot. And so my staff, they've learned me.
They've learned my personality that quickly. And it has been a lot of fun just
(09:37):
building those relationships and making those connections with students and staff.
I'm so excited about that. And I'm so excited about where we are in that process.
Yes. And, you know, I've been an assistant principal for quite a few years at
Brighton, but I'm most excited to continue to support our students and teachers
and parents while we work together to achieve our goals.
(09:59):
And like we read on the morning announcements every day, this is kind of our motto to the kids.
I want to watch our students learn, achieve, and succeed.
Good. Well, I'm so glad you stopped by this morning. I wish you great success.
And I know you're going to do a great job and you're going to be so helpful
for our school system, which I love and our community loves.
(10:21):
So thank you guys for stopping in today. Thank you. We We appreciate it.
We'll see you next week for another edition of Endless Possibilities.
Music.
Music.
(00:26):
Welcome to another edition of Endless Possibilities, where we talk about everything
Tifton County school system.
So today I got two fine guests here.
We have two new principals in the county, and I'm going to let them introduce
themselves and what school that they are a principal at.
Hi, my name is Karlyn McGlown. I'm at Covington High School.
(00:47):
I began my career in Tifton County at Mumford Middle.
I was a teacher there for seven years and then an assistant principal there for three years.
And then I moved over to the central office as a district-wide instructional
facilitator. And now back in the school building at Covington High. Go Chargers.
Good morning. My name is Melanie Johnson. I am principal at Brighton Elementary School.
(01:09):
I began my career at Brighton Elementary as a fourth grade teacher.
I also taught fifth grade at BES and then became assistant principal.
This is my first year to step into the principal position, but I feel that BES is definitely my home.
Have you found out as principals that it's very challenging?
(01:31):
Leadership is a big thing. And whether you like it or not, my motto is everything
falls and rises with leadership.
It's kind of like a sports team where you have the coaches and you have the
players, and it's your job to make all of these moving elements come together.
And I know that's very hard. So how has the first few weeks of school been for you?
(01:52):
Yeah, so at Covington High School, it's been a lot of hustle and bustle.
We started with laptop distributions and class meetings and schedule adjustments
and just getting students reacclimated to school life from their nice long summer break.
But now we're settling. We have our Dyersburg State and UT Martin students.
They're settled and going. They begin August the 26th.
(02:14):
So everybody's settling in and the hustle and bustle is coming to a slow,
slow move, slow moving group.
You know, Carlin, I can relate to that because our first few weeks have been
very hustle and bustle, but also exciting.
We've welcomed new pre-K students who are coming to school for the first time,
new kindergarten students, new students into our county, into Tipton County.
(02:41):
We also have five new teachers, new teaching assistants, and a new assistant principal.
It's been really great to see everybody coming together as a team.
So both of you have served as assistant principals, and now you are principals.
Compare those two jobs. What are the differences?
Were you really prepared for what you were about to get into?
(03:03):
Or were there things that a principal did that you just really wasn't aware
of until you took that job? I don't think you're ever prepared.
I read books. I listened to podcasts. I've done it all.
I don't think you're ever prepared for the weight that sits on your shoulders. It's heavy.
And so as a principal, you have the opportunity to lay out the vision for the school.
(03:25):
And that's different from an assistant principal because as an assistant principal,
essentially you're just assisting the principal in their vision,
but you have a greater impact and a greater reach.
And as an AP, I dealt heavily in one subject, but as a principal,
you're involved with all.
And this is the part that I like the best though. It's really rewarding to know
that, you know, I'm the model for what I'm expecting for my staff and my students. Correct.
(03:50):
So as I aim to walk in integrity-
I'm modeling that for them consistently day by day.
I think that's a great point, by the way, because if you're asking teachers
to do certain things to see you actually doing those things, it transfers better.
What about you, Mel? I agree 100 percent. You have to model every day.
(04:11):
You have to set those expectations high and you just have to lead with integrity.
Like you said, I think stepping into the principalship has been challenging, but yet rewarding.
I feel like I can build better relationships with my staff and with the students.
I can mentor them and we can work together to set new learning goals.
(04:36):
But it is definitely a challenge with all the decisions in the day to day hustle
and bustle. Yes, ma'am. Absolutely.
So if you you've came into the school system, is there any specific areas as
you evaluate what's going on that you would like to focus on more?
Yeah. For Covington High School, we have a laser focus on all aspects of academics
(04:58):
this year, but particularly ACT.
We created an ACT committee. We've outlined a plan to bring more awareness as
well as some incentives for effort and achievement.
We've also connected with the middle school to work on ways to better prepare
our students for ACT, to discuss with them some post-secondary opportunities,
and just start having those types of conversations in middle school.
(05:20):
Our career counselor will present to the 7th and 8th graders in the upcoming
weeks about the importance of the ACT and how they can begin preparing now,
as well as those EPSO opportunities here at the high school.
So that is our focus. ACT is a big focus for us, as well as all areas of academics.
We are also focusing, of course, on all of our test scores and helping them to go up.
(05:43):
But one main focus is building literacy confidence in our students.
We want them to know that they can do it even when they're struggling.
We want to build that confidence.
We want to focus on student learning strengths and student learning challenges
to see how they best learn.
And we are working to incorporate more interactive lessons, especially in our
(06:07):
math, science, and social studies classes. I love that.
We were talking before we started
recording, and Carlin, you said recently there was a football game.
And you look down at your clock, and next thing you know, you're getting home
at close to 9 o'clock. So it's a lot of hours.
It is a lot of hours. It's not just 7 to 3 or whatever. It goes far sometimes
(06:29):
into the night. What does a day look like for a principal?
Oh, goodness. So that day.
There are those days. That day, yeah. There's a day and there's that day.
That day I got there maybe about 5.50 that morning.
I turned my computer on, got to answering emails.
So I stand in the front usually with the buses coming in, and I speak to students and greet them.
(06:53):
They get a hearty good morning from me.
I'm a morning person, so sometimes they –.
Say good morning sometimes they just kind of look at me crazy they
come in i noticed driving the bus in the
afternoon everybody's wired and fired up but in the morning nobody's
saying a word i'm telling you so i go in the cafeteria usually greet students
and and then the day it really begins it's morning announcements it's getting
(07:17):
students to class and making sure that the hallways are clear and everybody's
where they're needing to be and then i may have appointments or phone calls I need to make.
Every day I try to get into a classroom for instruction.
That is my goal. I'm not going to let a day go by without being involved in
instruction because I'm instructionally focused. That's what I'm there for.
And so that has been the joy of being there so far. It really has. Being in classes.
(07:44):
I walked into the Spanish class the other day and through the third day of class,
they had already learned the days of the week. Spanish one, days of the week.
They learned the colors. They learned some phrases and they were so excited
to share with me what they had learned.
That is the day of a principal. And it may go on into Friday night light.
So I may have to change into my tennis shoes. And it is a really good day.
(08:06):
It's a really good day. It's a really good job.
It sounds a lot like elementary school. We just kind of follow the same pattern.
We have a rival. I either work in the cafeteria with the kids eating breakfast
or outside at car riders or buses greeting the students as they come in.
It is our main goal to visit those classrooms a lot.
(08:29):
And sometimes it takes a few hurdles for us to get in those classrooms because
other problems do arise.
But, you know, when I get to school, you just never know what you face that
day, what challenge may come up.
And I often say we just had to put out a few little fires before we really dug
in that day. But it's great.
(08:50):
It's never the same day, day after day. It is a wonderful job to be in. It is.
You come to work and you have a plan, but you as a principal and as a leader,
you've got to be willing to adjust your plan to deal with whatever arises.
Absolutely. And when you have a lot of kids, and I know that your schools do,
there are a lot of fires, a lot of things pop up that were unexpected.
(09:13):
And you have to multitask and make sure those things are taken care of.
And that makes a good leader. Right.
So is there any specific thing that you're excited about as a new principal for this coming year?
I know for me, it's just building those relationships.
With the students and the staff. I joke a lot. And so my staff, they've learned me.
They've learned my personality that quickly. And it has been a lot of fun just
(09:37):
building those relationships and making those connections with students and staff.
I'm so excited about that. And I'm so excited about where we are in that process.
Yes. And, you know, I've been an assistant principal for quite a few years at
Brighton, but I'm most excited to continue to support our students and teachers
and parents while we work together to achieve our goals.
(09:59):
And like we read on the morning announcements every day, this is kind of our motto to the kids.
I want to watch our students learn, achieve, and succeed.
Good. Well, I'm so glad you stopped by this morning. I wish you great success.
And I know you're going to do a great job and you're going to be so helpful
for our school system, which I love and our community loves.
(10:21):
So thank you guys for stopping in today. Thank you. We We appreciate it.
We'll see you next week for another edition of Endless Possibilities.
Music.
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