What if the most powerful leadership quality isn't perfection, but authentic vulnerability? Jayme Braida, Iowa's Elementary Principal of the Year and National Distinguished Principal, demonstrates how embracing imperfection revolutionized her approach to educational leadership.
Jayme's journey didn't follow a straight path. She "stumbled upon education" after changing majors multiple times in college, yet found herself naturally drawn to leadership roles. Her transformation from struggling classroom manager to award-winning principal hinged on one crucial realization: relationships matter more than rules. After traditional behavior management techniques failed with a challenging class, Jayme discovered that connecting with students personally was the missing ingredient to success.
This philosophy – creating environments where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued – now defines her leadership approach. "A culture can only rise higher than the leader you're becoming," Jayme explains, emphasizing how her own childhood experiences with trauma shaped her commitment to creating safe, welcoming spaces for all students and staff. From dancing on the front lawn with students each morning to openly acknowledging when personal struggles affect her work, Jamie models the vulnerability she hopes to see in her school community.
What makes Jayme's message particularly powerful is her willingness to share her full humanity. When facing divorce, a community member told her, "You can't get divorced. You are leading a school." This unrealistic expectation motivated Jayme to champion authenticity in leadership. Her upcoming book "Seen, Heard, Valued: One Child's Journey from Overlooked to Outstanding" explores how personal challenges prepared her for leadership and shaped her values.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Principal JL (00:00):
Do you show up to your role as an educational
leader in a way that isunfiltered and authentic?
Well, that is exactly what mynext guest, Jayme Braida, does.
She is an elementary principalwith 18 years of experience in
education, including 8 years inadministration administration.
(00:27):
This year she was named theIowa Elementary Principal of the
Year and recognized as aNational Distinguished Principal
.
Jayme is passionate abouttrauma-informed leadership,
equity and creating schoolcultures where students and
staff members feel seen, heardand valued.
Her journey from fourth gradeteacher to literacy coach and
now principal is truly inspiring.
(00:48):
Now let's get to ourconversation with Jayme Braida.
Welcome back to another episodeof the Educational Leadership
Podcast.
Today I'm really excited.
(01:09):
I have an elementary principalof the year from Iowa.
I know it's Iowa, but, beingfrom Nebraska, we have this
little rivalry Her name is JaymeBraida.
Jayme, welcome to the show.
Jayme Braida (01:22):
Thank you so much.
Thanks for having me.
Principal JL (01:24):
All right, Jayme, I'm going to go ahead.
I'm going to start you off,like I do every guest to the
show.
Thank you so much.
Thanks for having me.
All right, Jayme, I'm going togo ahead.
I'm going to start you off,like I do every guest on this
show.
What inspired you to become aneducator?
Jayme Braida (01:33):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I don't know if you get this alot from other people, but I
never wanted to be an educator.
I never wanted to be a teacher.
I don't know really what Iwanted to be growing up.
I went off to college and I wasone of those.
I changed my major three or fourtimes and my senior year I was
sitting here thinking I've gotto do something and so I worked
at a daycare and decided I likekids.
(01:54):
So I kind of stumbled uponeducation and then went into
teaching, liked it quite a bit.
But you know, it's strangebecause early on I wanted to
take on leadership roles andjust loved helping people, help
kids, and so just did differentthings with leadership.
Really it's funny because 18years into it I look back to my
(02:19):
childhood and it just seems likeeverything that happened maybe
to me, everything that I wentthrough, my journey, it all I
know it was just ordained LikeGod's plan was to put me where I
am right now and where I'vebeen, and just seeing the impact
that I've had on lives, and Ijust know that there's a purpose
for the journey.
Principal JL (02:40):
Yeah, no, you kind of hit on some things there,
Jayme.
I think anybody that gets inthis profession.
You get where you're supposedto be.
It doesn't happen by accident.
There's positions and openingsand things like that.
You start your career whereyou're supposed to be and you
end up where you're supposed tobe because I believe there is a
plan for you, for you.
(03:05):
However, you guys believe this.
If you believe it's God's planor Buddha's plan or whoever's
plan, you know there's alwaysthat plan out there to where you
know you're in the right spacewhen you're there.
So, jamie, talk about teaching,kind of like.
You know, I believe you're anelementary teacher.
What grade levels did you teach?
You know what experiences as ateacher help prepare you to
(03:25):
become a educational leader or aprincipal.
Jayme Braida (03:29):
Yeah.
So I kind of thought about this.
I figured you'd ask somethingsimilar but so much of, I think,
what has prepared me for whatI'm doing right now were things
that happened in my childhood,through adolescence, through
teaching, just my entire journey.
It's just a connection betweenthose seasons and you know, I
(03:51):
spent the entire summer, thissummer writing a book, okay, and
it's kind of a memoir, andevery chapter features
leadership lessons at the endand it really made me think back
on.
You know, what was it aboutteaching that shaped who I am as
a leader?
What was it about my childhood?
And truly, like, all theexperiences, all the people that
poured into me, the things thatwere said, the events, the
(04:13):
moments, those have tremendouslyshaped who I am as a leader.
But they've also shaped myvalues and I think you know your
values drive your actions andthings like that.
You know it's just aculmination of all the things.
So, specifically talkingteaching, you know I wasn't a
great teacher out of the gate.
I don't think.
I think I was pretty good.
I, you know, was jumping intoall these different leadership
(04:36):
roles.
I was a great collaborator.
I was all into technology 18years ago technology 18 years
ago but as far as behaviorclassroom management, I didn't
quite get it.
I had everything ready.
I had my clip charts, you knowall those things.
I had read the books and I wasready with my discipline plan
and the first three years werepretty easy.
(04:58):
I didn't really have anychallenging behaviors.
My fourth year I moved to Osco'sElementary.
It was the biggest elementaryin the state and might still be
the biggest elementary in thestate, and I had a class that
was very challenging, a lot ofstudents with behavior plans.
And my old methods didn't work,like the clip chart didn't work
(05:19):
, the check marks on the boarddidn't work.
So anyway, the behaviorism, therewards and consequences, it
just wasn't working.
And so by the end of the year Iwas just burnt out.
I was going to leave teaching.
The principal said what do youwant me to do?
And I said get such and suchout of my room.
I cannot handle her.
She is so difficult.
You know it's like one of thosekids that you know the whole
(05:40):
dynamics kind of change when thekid's gone.
You're like, oh, not that youdon't love all your kids, but
just very challenging.
She and he ended up moving her.
So the last two weeks of schoolshe was in a different
classroom next door to mine andI walked by and just see her
coloring and sitting up by theteacher and I would, and I'd ask
that teacher, how's she doingin your room?
(06:00):
She's like, oh, she's perfectfor me.
And I was so mad because I'mlike, of course she's perfect
for you.
You're not making her doanything, you've lowered your
expectations, so on and so forth.
Well, fast forward.
That summer I went to CapturingKids' Hearts training.
If you've ever gone throughthat, it's just a whole, it's
not just a bunch of strategiesand tools, it's a philosophy,
kind of.
You know, we have to capturekids' hearts before we can have
(06:21):
their heads.
It transformed everything forme and it made me reflect on
that entire time that year andhow behaviors.
It wasn't about the disciplineand the rewards and consequences
, it was that I wasn't formingrelationships and making
connections with kids.
And then I thought back on theteacher next door who happens to
(06:43):
be one of my best friends andmentors.
Now.
I sat with her and I said I'msorry, I didn't realize what you
were doing.
You were making connectionswith that student, and so that
has just transformed my thinking.
I'd become the kind of leaderand I was the kind of teacher
and the kind of leader that Ineeded growing up, and so that
would probably be kind of mybiggest leadership takeaway from
(07:04):
teaching.
Principal JL (07:06):
You bet.
I mean there's a lot of thingsyou unpacked there.
Jamie, you talked aboutsomething that's really
important relationships.
If you think you can do thisjob without building
relationships, I say good luck,because you got to build those
relationships in order for thesekids to be successful
relationships in order for thesekids to be successful.
(07:27):
So I think you know, I applaudyou on being able to, you know,
take a step back and reflect onthat and be able to say you know
what?
This is something I can getbetter at.
I can learn and grow and becomea better teacher, but also
become, you know, a betterleader because of it, and I
really appreciate that.
So you talked about a book youwere writing.
Is that like embargoedinformation?
(07:47):
Is this something we can't talkabout, or is this something we
could maybe let people know?
You know about your book.
So I'd really like to talk alittle bit about the book and
maybe kind of you know what isit about?
What can it do for people?
But you know, is it out yet?
Is it?
You know?
Is it on the?
What can it do for people?
But you know, is it out yet?
Is it?
You know?
Is it on the shelves or issomething that's coming?
Jayme Braida (08:10):
Yeah.
So it's not out yet.
I'm not even sure.
I've never wrote a book.
You know, I don't know how to.
I'm going to figure out how toself-publish or whatever I need
to do.
So it's not quite out yet.
I'm thinking maybe fall, but itis finished with some minor
edits that need to be made.
But again, it starts with mychildhood and goes all the way
through the current time, reallyjust talks about every season
(08:34):
of my life, the events, thepeople, the things that happened
to me.
I grew up with some trauma, soI talk a lot about the trauma.
You know I grew up with sometrauma, so I talk a lot about
the trauma.
But everything that happenedshaped who I am as a mom, as a
(08:59):
partner, as a leader, and sothere is something to be
vulnerable and share thosethings authentically.
We can show up better forpeople, we can give space for
them to show up as their trueselves.
And I also think that it'sthrough, like thinking back on
my story, my experiences andgoing through these leadership
lessons, and as I was writing Istarted to realize like all
(09:20):
these things have shaped myvalues.
I value connections becausepeople connected with me.
You know.
I value relationships because Ineeded relationships
desperately and I needed to beseen, and that's actually the
title of the book is Seen, heard, valued, because that's what
kids and staff need.
And so my message throughoutthe book has to do with
(09:41):
connections, relationships,seeing people, showing up not
perfectly, because again kind ofanother underlying theme is
being imperfect and just showingup as your true self.
It's more about less abouthaving all the answers and being
perfect and more about showingup with intention so that you
(10:02):
can connect and lead others well.
Principal JL (10:05):
Wow, I think that's going to be something
people are going to want to getand so I think coming up.
I'll follow you on Instagram soI'm pretty sure you'll have
some sort of reveal maybe comingup and I'll definitely share
that out to my audience whenthat time comes as well.
And then, when it does come out, I'll probably link it to the
show notes here so people whenthey hear this episode can can
(10:28):
find your book easily.
So I want to put that in there,but at the same time, this
coming down the road people.
So, with that said, you came,did you go from teacher to the
literacy instructional coach ordid you kind of do do both at
the same time?
Tell me about that journey whenyou were doing the literacy
instructional coaching, becauseI believe you had that before
(10:49):
you became a principal.
What was that experience like?
Jayme Braida (10:53):
Yeah, so I had taught for about 10 years and I
had only taught fourth, fifthand sixth grade, so upper
elementary.
I knew I wanted to kind ofdiversify experiences, get down
to the lower elementary leveland so there was an opening for
K-2, k-2 instructional literacycoach and I knew nothing about
phonics and phonemic awarenesslike zero zilch.
(11:13):
So it's terrifying, but I knewif I was going to go lead a
building I wanted to have someknowledge and background in
foundational literacy.
So I became that instructionalcoach and did that for a year
and that was amazing.
I think that's a great pathwayIf principals are, if aspiring
administrators are thinkingabout getting into
(11:34):
administration, going into acoaching role first.
It was so helpful so I did thatfor a year and then got my
first principal job.
Principal JL (11:42):
You bet.
With that said, it sounds likeyou're kind of building your
career.
At first you didn't know whatyou wanted to do.
I was kind of the same way.
I actually went to college tobe a physical therapist and then
I found coaching football as mygig and that's got me in the
education.
But then you know, becoming ateacher, learning and growing
through that process and thenthe instructional coaching,
(12:05):
which is great because that's agood segue into being a
principal.
So what inspired you to come onover to be a principal?
What was that like?
Was it a tap on the shoulder?
Was it encouragement?
Was it like it's time for me todo this?
What was that experience likewhen you decided that I'm going
(12:25):
to go down this journey andbecome a principal of a school
building?
Jayme Braida (12:30):
And so I had a principal in college.
Well, she was a former schoolprincipal turned professor, and
I don't know what it is, butI've had two super impactful
educators in my life, who onewas a fifth grade teacher and I
became a fifth grade teacher,and the other one was this
professor who was a formerprincipal and I became a
(12:50):
principal.
And I remember thinking in myclass, as she formed a really
good relationship with me, Ithought to myself man, when I
get out of here I'm going to bea principal because I bet she
was an amazing principal and Iwant to be like her.
And then you get into teachingand I had all these
opportunities in both thedistricts that I'm taught in to
(13:11):
just take leadership roles, andI love that.
I love helping teachers, I loveserving others, I loved getting
to learn new things in thatrole and then share what I
learned with others.
And so I knew immediately Ithink I probably knew when I got
my first job I want to be aprincipal someday.
Of course, I waited a littlebit and then went.
I had young kids at the timeand so you know, I just knew
(13:35):
right away.
Principal JL (13:37):
And so did you have to apply to a lot of
different positions.
What was the journey like?
Just be going through theinterview process and get in
your first principal shift?
How did that process go for you?
And, and you know what was what, what was it like to actually
get that offer?
Jayme Braida (13:55):
And what was it like to actually get that offer?
Yeah, so I applied for abouttwo years before I even got an
interview.
I do think that coachingposition looked good on my
resume.
I think that might have helpeda little bit.
I know I was applying for a lotof these bigger school
(14:23):
districts in the city in DesMoines and I think they're
looking for either they kind ofgrow their own administrators or
they're looking for people withsome experience.
And then, of course, I havekids and so my radius was a
little bit limited because Ididn't want to move too far from
where we were living and moveschool districts.
So it took me about two years.
Principal JL (14:39):
I got my first interview and got the job.
So I think overall, I think youkind of hit on something like
you'll probably apply for morejobs and you'll get interviews.
That's a fact, I know.
Sometimes you have to bewilling to move your family and
sound like in your position likethat probably wasn't a great
great thing for you, so you hadto be patient.
So I really applaud that.
You know, taking two years ofapply and then once you had your
(15:00):
opportunity, you, you, younailed it and were able to get
that position.
I know for myself it took meeight times before I got my
first principal ship, but eachinterview led me to the next
thing, and so that that's kindof like my journey when I became
a principal.
Then, once you become aprincipal, it's easier to stay a
(15:22):
principal at other placesbecause of your experience.
Jayme, you kind of accomplishedsomething this past year, that
kind of get to be in thisfraternity or sorority of
principals.
You became the Iowa ElementaryPrincipal of the Year.
So I'd really like to know howdid you find out you were the
(15:44):
Elementary Principal of the Yearfor Iowa?
Jayme Braida (15:47):
So I knew that some people had nominated me.
Then it got down.
It was almost like a year-longprocess.
It got down to me.
Then it got down it was almostlike a year-long process.
It got down to, I think, eightof us and so from there they
notified us and we had to fillout quite a lengthy application
process with letters and essaysand different things, and it was
narrowed down to four.
This would have been in maybeFebruary, march, and with the
(16:11):
four of us they did onlineinterviews.
So there were a group of mypeers who interviewed me.
It's very similar to thissituation and the very next day
one of the principals who wasinterviewing me Heather Buckley
she was also a principal of theyear a few years ago she called
me and she said you know, oh mygosh, we loved your story,
(16:31):
because of course I share a lotof my story and my journey and I
thought, oh, it's the letdown,she's got it.
Oh, we loved your story.
But and she said, we'd love youto represent Iowa as the next
elementary preschool.
And I was like, oh, I still getlike teary thinking about it.
So, anyway, that's how thatwent, and of course I had to get
on the phone with my boss, bradBaker, and I called him and
(16:56):
said guess who's the principalof the year?
Yay, so there's a bigcelebration, you know.
And then after that cameNational Distinguished Principal
.
So I received that a few monthslater.
So just a lot of great coolthings happening.
Principal JL (17:11):
Were you able to attend the?
For you it'd be the NAESPconference out in Seattle.
Jayme Braida (17:18):
I did not attend that.
However, the secondaryadministrators were recognized
at that conference, theelementary distinguished
principals.
We actually are going toWashington DC in October, okay,
and so they fly us out there andwe have a big ball and
basically a two-day conference.
They're just kind of celebrateus and then to network and do
(17:39):
different things.
Principal JL (17:40):
So congratulations on that, that's.
That's great.
You'll be, you know, yeah, sowith with that being the
elementary principal of the yearfor Iowa, you know what does
this mean for you personally andprofessionally.
Jayme Braida (17:56):
Sure.
So when I it was my first yearas a principal the email came to
all of us and it said nominatethe principal of the year.
And I looked at my very goodfriend who was also a principal
and I said I'm going to beelementary principal of the year
someday and it was just thisbig out there dream.
But I was like I'm going to doit because I'm just going to
make, I'm just going to beawesome at what I do.
(18:18):
So I've tried to do that andI'm just so humbled that that
eight year eight I finally getto achieve that Some kind of
something I just put out in theuniverse Now I get to do to
achieve that.
So it's surreal, it's humbling,it means so much both personally
and professionally.
It just feels like aculmination of my story from
(18:39):
childhood to adulthood.
Like I said, the book SeenHeard Valued there's kind of a
subtitle which is One Child'sJourney from Overlooked to
Outstanding.
It's a story of survival, hopeand the power of leadership.
The award just reminds me somuch of why this work matters,
why we show up for kids andstaff every single day, and it's
(19:01):
just kind of a testament tothat and what this is all about.
Principal JL (19:04):
Awesome.
So what doors have opened foryou since being named the
Principal of the Year?
Jayme Braida (19:10):
So I've had a lot of people just reach out and
tell me congratulations, whichis cool.
Those, to me, I see as littledoors of opportunity to start
forming relationships withpeople, because you never know
who's going to help you out onyour journey, which has been
really cool.
Getting to make Instagram postswith people I run into at
conferences, you know, runninginto some speakers and just I
(19:31):
think when they hear, oh,there's the principle of the ear
, it's like, oh, their earsmight perk up, you know, or hey,
maybe we could connect with oneanother.
So that's been really cool.
But I think for me, the wholeentire principle of the year,
the biggest thing for me, isthat it was a catalyst for me to
have the courage to step intothis new, the courage to step
(19:58):
into this new I don't know stepinto this new chapter which is
doing podcasts and writing mybook.
I probably would not have gotthat ball rolling Someday.
I may have, but like, I feellike I'm ready and I could use
this as an opportunity to reallydo that and make it bigger.
Principal JL (20:13):
I think that's great.
I think creating a biggerimpact is definitely right in
the DNA of principles of theyear, because I know a few
people I'm not there yet, maybesomeday I don't know but my
whole podcast is just tohighlight people and all the
great things you do.
As a Principal, what issomething that you have done
(20:34):
that you're really excited aboutor you're proud of in your
leadership over the last youknow seven to eight years as
being a principal?
What is something that you know?
You really say you know whatthat that is.
You know why I do what I do.
That's the kind of impact Iwant to have on my building and
my students and my teachers youhave any stories about, you know
(20:55):
along those lines.
Jayme Braida (20:58):
Yeah.
So I think what a lot of myfriends and my educator friends
know me for is for someone whocreates cultures where everyone
feels seen, valued, seen, heardand valued From the custodial
staff to the teachers, the parasand the kids and their families
(21:20):
.
Like I said, I'm very like,imperfect, I'm unfiltered.
I just show up.
Sometimes I curl my hair in theoffice.
I did not find that.
I mean, I I wear tennis shoesand I don't like.
What you see is what you get andI don't know all the answers
and I will admit that a lot.
(21:41):
I don't know the answer to that, but I will show up with
intention around connections andmaking sure that you know I'm
leading people well and sothat's true for my leadership
and how I make people andeveryone feel.
But I also feel like when wetalk about a culture, well,
first of all, I believe that aculture can only rise higher
(22:03):
than the leader you're becoming.
I'm continuously trying to bethe best leader that I can be,
but when I think about myculture and my staff my staff
also they do such a good job ofmaking every child feel seen,
heard and valued.
I'm so proud of how my staffand the staffs that I've led.
You know, we we are done withthe clip charts.
(22:25):
We're about relationships,we're about connecting, we're
about meeting kids, not justtheir physical needs, cause
there's a lot of needs at the K2level, a lot of hungry kids
coming in, tired kids especially.
You're in the first week ofschool, everybody.
Well, you got high school,though, so I hope you don't have
a lot of coach.
Principal JL (22:42):
Oh, we got needs trust.
We have a lot of needs.
We do serve a large free andreduced population in our
community and so we havefamilies from all walks of life
and all different socialeconomic backgrounds.
So, yeah, we do have a lot ofstudents with needs.
(23:05):
Like you said, it's aboutbuilding those connections,
creating that welcomingenvironment in your building,
because sometimes that'sprobably the best place those
students are at during the day.
Their home lives may be a wreck.
They may not have the supportat home as they would at the
school.
So trying to create thatenvironment for all students and
(23:25):
all staff I know for me isreally important because I'm
really big on creating thatculture and it sounds like
you're kind of in that same boat.
You want to create that culturefor your staff and your
students to learn.
So because if they don't havethat they're not going to learn,
and it's kind of been myphilosophy as well.
So I think you know, I thinkwe're seeing eye to eye on those
(23:46):
things on that end.
Yes, sorry if we, you know,interrupted everything there,
but building culture, makingpeople feel welcomed and those
things like that what I knowyou've been.
I want to go to this now.
Come back to this, thatquestion but I want to talk
about maybe.
You're doing some stuff on IG.
You talk about being imperfect.
(24:07):
I've seen some of your videosand some of the things like hey,
I am who I am.
I'm not a perfect person.
So what kind of inspired you tokind of put out those different
Instagram posts about yourperspectives and being imperfect
?
And hey, I don't have all theanswers, but I'm going to darn
(24:30):
it, I'm going to try hard sowhat inspired you to do those
type of posts on Instagram.
Jayme Braida (24:31):
I am myself in leadership.
I'm very authentic, I'm veryimperfect and unfiltered, and so
I want to show up to myInstagram friends the same way I
want to show up imperfect.
I want to show up unfilteredbecause we need leaders who are
willing to lead courageously asthemselves, and too many leaders
(24:54):
are leaving the profession toomany good leaders because it's
very, very hard and I feel likethey can't feel like they can
show up as their true self.
You know, I went through adivorce a few years ago, very
stressful, and I had a person Iwon't say specifically her role
because I think that'd give itaway but I had a person in my
(25:14):
school community who told me youcan't get divorced.
You are leading a school, youhave to keep your family unit
together, and that was.
I don't think she had badintentions, but it hurt so much
and you know it made me thinkyou know all the things that I
struggle with.
(25:35):
I can't bring that as a leader.
I have to keep that separate,compartmentalized.
I can't bring that into theleadership space and that's just
simply not true.
We're humans.
We have to show up.
That doesn't mean I went to workevery day and I fell apart or I
missed a bunch of work becauseI was going through tough times,
but I think it was okay for meto show up and say, hey, guys,
(25:56):
give me some grace today.
The divorce has been reallytough or we all are dealing with
stuff.
A lot of administrators areparents and, wow, I've gone
through some things with my kids, like you know mental health
stuff.
I have teachers that have kidswith mental health things and
when we show up as ourselves andcan share some of those things
(26:17):
and be ourselves, we inviteothers to do that as well.
That's a part of seeing,hearing, hearing and valuing
people is showing up as our trueselves so they can show up as
theirs.
So I just want to spread thatmessage to lots of leaders.
Principal JL (26:32):
I can get on board with that message, jamie,
because I'll be honest, I'vebeen and divorced myself been a
long, lot longer than just thelast couple of years but it is a
very tough thing to go throughas an adult, especially when you
have kids involved, and it'snot an easy thing.
So I'm glad you came out on theother side of it in really good
(26:53):
shape and things are going well.
But I think you mentionedsomething there that's really
important is asking people forgrace, say, hey, you know what,
I'm having a bad time, you'rebeing authentic, you're being
who you are and saying, hey, Imay not have it together today,
but give me some grace, we'llwork through together and we'll
(27:13):
get through the day and do whatwe got to do.
But there's just those times inleadership.
You got to be able to say thosethings to your staff and they
can see the real who you are,because we are people, we are
human, we have emotions.
We have to be able to take careof ourselves, so we could take
care of the people in ourbuilding as well.
(27:33):
So I think you kind of hit on avery important message there and
I think it's great that youwant to share that message.
You got this book that's comingout.
You're all over IG, you know,with it and I think for me, I'm
going to help you spread that.
I'm going to share your stuffand let people know as much as
possible, because I think if wework together within our
(27:54):
platforms, we can really getthat message out, because we
can't do this alone as well.
So now I'm going to go back toa question I would like to ask
is about inspiring leaders.
We have a lot of people thatlisten to this podcast that are
thinking about that next step.
They're thinking about, youknow, leaving the classroom and
(28:15):
becoming an administrator.
So what advice would you giveto aspiring leaders out there?
Jayme Braida (28:22):
Do I just let a class actually with the school
administrative of Iowa to let asession on for brand new
principles on how to build thatculture from day one.
So I'm going to go back to thata little bit.
Before you step into the role,there's a little bit of a season
of preparation.
I don't think there's.
People focus on the checklistof all the things I need to show
up perfect, I need to have theperfect back to school bash.
(28:43):
I actually did.
I had read Teach Like a Pirateso I'd build a pirate ship in
the library.
Yeah, that was cool, that wasfun.
I got some good pictures for myInstagram for the brevity of the
(29:05):
role and preparing myself, justreflecting on what kind of
leader I want to be, reflectingon my values, all those things
so that I could show up withintention on day one.
What kind of culture do I want?
What kind of actions and valuesam I going to have to hold to
create that kind of culture thatI want?
So just a lot of reflecting,because it is hard work and when
(29:26):
we have to make tough decisions, we have to know where we stand
and if we don't have our valueskind of secure, we have a
reflection on that.
It's hard to say when there's atough decision what way you're
going to go.
So I would say do somepreparation, work and again,
leading by example.
I have a lead acronym, you knowleading by example.
(29:48):
Embrace your story, align youractions and do the work.
So you know we can be imperfect, we don't have to have all the
answers, but we have to show upand just try our best to lead by
example.
Be authentically with intention.
Principal JL (30:00):
I think that's great advice, Jayme, for those
out there that are seeking thatprincipalship job down the road
is to be your authentic self andyou know what you get into.
That principalship you ain'tgoing to have the answers.
You know, there wasn't a lot ofpreparation.
You had your college courses,you did all that, but no one
ever tells you the hard stuff.
They don't really prepare youfor the reality of the role, and
(30:24):
that's kind of why it'simportant for us to have
different networking and beingable to go to different
resources, such as severalpodcasts out there that are on
educational leadership not justthis one, but there's other ones
out there.
So having some sort ofprofessional development for
yourself so you can becomebetter as well, so you can do
(30:46):
the role well.
Jayme Braida (30:48):
Yeah, and you said you know connecting learning
from others Truly.
Again, going back, I know itsounds like a broken record here
, but you don't have to have allthe answers.
I learned that as aninstructional coach when I went
down to K2 literacy I knewnothing, but I didn't do all
this prep work to learn all thecontent.
I showed up.
I told them I know this is new,I don't know a lot about
(31:11):
foundational literacy, but Iwant to learn from you.
They become an elementaryprincipal.
They can't possibly spend theirsummer learning all about the
things they need to know aboutan elementary teaching and
phonics and all that stuff.
But if they show up and arehonest with their staff about
what they need to learn andthey're willing to learn and
(31:32):
grow, they don't have to haveall the answers.
That will go a very long wayand we have a lot of great staff
members.
I have teachers in my buildingthat I still learn from every
single day.
Principal JL (31:45):
Yeah, I mean me too.
I mean I'm only in my eighthyear as a principal and there's
some staff member that like, hey, mr Lennon, maybe think through
some things, and usually I do apretty good job of that.
But it is nice to have thoseveterans staff looking out for
you and people you can learnfrom as well.
Talked about a lot of thingstoday.
Jayme.
You know what's next for you.
(32:06):
What do you see?
What's coming up?
You got a book coming out, gotthat down.
But what are some things thatget you excited about the future
for yourself in the profession?
Jayme Braida (32:16):
Well, like I mentioned earlier, I just
finished my book, so I'm hopingto publish it sometime this fall
.
I truly love what I do as anelementary principal, and so I
can see myself staying rightwhere I'm at my district's
awesome, my team's awesome, mystaff's awesome.
I really want to stay in thatrole for a while longer, but at
the same time, I really do wantto get my message out there.
(32:39):
I do feel like I have a greatercalling Not that principalship
isn't an amazing calling,because it has been my calling
for a long time, but again, Ijust want to get my story out
there and I want to help peoplelead Because, again, you can
have a great impact as a teacher.
You can have an even biggerimpact as a principal and even
bigger impact, you know, takingmy story, my message, worldwide.
Principal JL (33:05):
No, I know a lot of principals, like Dr
Edoho-Eket right, she's acurrent principal, she's a
national speaker, she's all overthe place and I like, oh hey,
you're doing a great job andit's really.
You know, it was really greatto connect with her out at the
national conference where I wentto one of her sessions.
But at the same time, man, youcan still do the work and then
(33:28):
have these side things whereyou're helping leaders grow and
those things like that.
And so I really I think you'regoing to do it, I think you're
going to make it there.
It's just going to take time.
You know, my side gig is apodcast.
I don't make money doing this.
I spend more money than I domaking it at this at this level.
It's just.
You know, this is a resourcefor those people out there that
need it, and I just lovebringing on different people
(33:49):
because I get to learn from them.
So it was a lot of fun, Jayme,to bring you in and learn from
you as well.
And so, Jayme, if listenerswanted to connect with you and
get to know more about youfollow you on Instagram how
could they do that?
Jayme Braida (34:04):
So I have a LinkedIn, which is just Jayme
Braida, and my Instagram.
I have kind of a personalaccount and then my professional
one, which is just my firstname, last name, Jayme Braida,
principal, unfiltered.
I actually have starteddabbling in some different
social media stuff, so I have alanding page.
I'm very impressed with myselfthat I could figure that out.
But if you go to my Instagram,you could subscribe and get my
(34:28):
weekly videos.
I put those out on the weekend.
It's just a one to two minutevideo about some of the stuff we
talked about how to show upwith clarity, purpose and
connection and do thatauthentically as your unfiltered
self.
And then there's some goodpractical tips that I've been
sharing in that as well.
And then, if you know, if youwant to find me I'm always
usually you'll find me fromabout 745 to 815.
(34:50):
I'm out dancing and on thefront lawn with the kids in the
morning, so as they're coming in, so that's where I'll be.
Principal JL (34:57):
I bet you, the kids love that.
All right.
So, Jayme, this was a greatconversation and I will put down
in the show notes your you knowInstagram accounts.
Anything you need me to have inthe show notes for people to
connect with you, We'll get thatin there for them to make it
real easy for people to to reachout and connect with you.
(35:17):
I think.
Keep following, because you'regoing to probably have this big
reveal down the road.
So you want to subscribe toJayme's account so you can keep
track of the great work that sheis doing as well.
Well, Jayme, it was greathaving you on the show today.
I learned a lot.
I hope our listeners learned alot.
It took a lot away from this.
I would really enjoy you hereand have a great night.
(35:40):
Is there anything you'd like tosay before we go?
Jayme Braida (35:43):
I just want to say thank you for having me.
I love getting to talk becauseI think every time we talk about
things like this and putourselves in, maybe kind of
stretch ourselves out of ourcomfort zones, it helps us to
grow, and answering questionsjust helps us reflect on how we
can become better leaders.
So I appreciate the opportunity.
Principal JL (36:03):
What a conversation with Jayme Braida.
I love how she is herunfiltered self as an educator.
We don't need to have all theanswers, we just need to show up
and do our best each and everyday.
Thank you, Jayme, for sharingyour journey with us, and if
this episode resonates with you,I would encourage you to share
(36:25):
it with someone who needs tohear it.
Please subscribe to thispodcast so you don't miss
another upcoming episode.
Until next time, be curious and1% better.
Do you show up to your role as an educational
leader in a way that isunfiltered and authentic?
Well, that is exactly what mynext guest, Jayme Braida, does.
She is an elementary principalwith 18 years of experience in
education, including 8 years inadministration administration.
(00:27):
This year she was named theIowa Elementary Principal of the
Year and recognized as aNational Distinguished Principal
.
Jayme is passionate abouttrauma-informed leadership,
equity and creating schoolcultures where students and
staff members feel seen, heardand valued.
Her journey from fourth gradeteacher to literacy coach and
now principal is truly inspiring.
(00:48):
Now let's get to ourconversation with Jayme Braida.
Welcome back to another episodeof the Educational Leadership
Podcast.
Today I'm really excited.
(01:09):
I have an elementary principalof the year from Iowa.
I know it's Iowa, but, beingfrom Nebraska, we have this
little rivalry Her name is JaymeBraida.
Jayme, welcome to the show.
Jayme Braida (01:22):
Thank you so much.
Thanks for having me.
Principal JL (01:24):
All right, Jayme, I'm going to go ahead.
I'm going to start you off,like I do every guest to the
show.
Thank you so much.
Thanks for having me.
All right, Jayme, I'm going togo ahead.
I'm going to start you off,like I do every guest on this
show.
What inspired you to become aneducator?
Jayme Braida (01:33):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I don't know if you get this alot from other people, but I
never wanted to be an educator.
I never wanted to be a teacher.
I don't know really what Iwanted to be growing up.
I went off to college and I wasone of those.
I changed my major three or fourtimes and my senior year I was
sitting here thinking I've gotto do something and so I worked
at a daycare and decided I likekids.
(01:54):
So I kind of stumbled uponeducation and then went into
teaching, liked it quite a bit.
But you know, it's strangebecause early on I wanted to
take on leadership roles andjust loved helping people, help
kids, and so just did differentthings with leadership.
Really it's funny because 18years into it I look back to my
(02:19):
childhood and it just seems likeeverything that happened maybe
to me, everything that I wentthrough, my journey, it all I
know it was just ordained LikeGod's plan was to put me where I
am right now and where I'vebeen, and just seeing the impact
that I've had on lives, and Ijust know that there's a purpose
for the journey.
Principal JL (02:40):
Yeah, no, you kind of hit on some things there,
Jayme.
I think anybody that gets inthis profession.
You get where you're supposedto be.
It doesn't happen by accident.
There's positions and openingsand things like that.
You start your career whereyou're supposed to be and you
end up where you're supposed tobe because I believe there is a
plan for you, for you.
(03:05):
However, you guys believe this.
If you believe it's God's planor Buddha's plan or whoever's
plan, you know there's alwaysthat plan out there to where you
know you're in the right spacewhen you're there.
So, jamie, talk about teaching,kind of like.
You know, I believe you're anelementary teacher.
What grade levels did you teach?
You know what experiences as ateacher help prepare you to
(03:25):
become a educational leader or aprincipal.
Jayme Braida (03:29):
Yeah.
So I kind of thought about this.
I figured you'd ask somethingsimilar but so much of, I think,
what has prepared me for whatI'm doing right now were things
that happened in my childhood,through adolescence, through
teaching, just my entire journey.
It's just a connection betweenthose seasons and you know, I
(03:51):
spent the entire summer, thissummer writing a book, okay, and
it's kind of a memoir, andevery chapter features
leadership lessons at the endand it really made me think back
on.
You know, what was it aboutteaching that shaped who I am as
a leader?
What was it about my childhood?
And truly, like, all theexperiences, all the people that
poured into me, the things thatwere said, the events, the
(04:13):
moments, those have tremendouslyshaped who I am as a leader.
But they've also shaped myvalues and I think you know your
values drive your actions andthings like that.
You know it's just aculmination of all the things.
So, specifically talkingteaching, you know I wasn't a
great teacher out of the gate.
I don't think.
I think I was pretty good.
I, you know, was jumping intoall these different leadership
(04:36):
roles.
I was a great collaborator.
I was all into technology 18years ago technology 18 years
ago but as far as behaviorclassroom management, I didn't
quite get it.
I had everything ready.
I had my clip charts, you knowall those things.
I had read the books and I wasready with my discipline plan
and the first three years werepretty easy.
(04:58):
I didn't really have anychallenging behaviors.
My fourth year I moved to Osco'sElementary.
It was the biggest elementaryin the state and might still be
the biggest elementary in thestate, and I had a class that
was very challenging, a lot ofstudents with behavior plans.
And my old methods didn't work,like the clip chart didn't work
(05:19):
, the check marks on the boarddidn't work.
So anyway, the behaviorism, therewards and consequences, it
just wasn't working.
And so by the end of the year Iwas just burnt out.
I was going to leave teaching.
The principal said what do youwant me to do?
And I said get such and suchout of my room.
I cannot handle her.
She is so difficult.
You know it's like one of thosekids that you know the whole
(05:40):
dynamics kind of change when thekid's gone.
You're like, oh, not that youdon't love all your kids, but
just very challenging.
She and he ended up moving her.
So the last two weeks of schoolshe was in a different
classroom next door to mine andI walked by and just see her
coloring and sitting up by theteacher and I would, and I'd ask
that teacher, how's she doingin your room?
(06:00):
She's like, oh, she's perfectfor me.
And I was so mad because I'mlike, of course she's perfect
for you.
You're not making her doanything, you've lowered your
expectations, so on and so forth.
Well, fast forward.
That summer I went to CapturingKids' Hearts training.
If you've ever gone throughthat, it's just a whole, it's
not just a bunch of strategiesand tools, it's a philosophy,
kind of.
You know, we have to capturekids' hearts before we can have
(06:21):
their heads.
It transformed everything forme and it made me reflect on
that entire time that year andhow behaviors.
It wasn't about the disciplineand the rewards and consequences
, it was that I wasn't formingrelationships and making
connections with kids.
And then I thought back on theteacher next door who happens to
(06:43):
be one of my best friends andmentors.
Now.
I sat with her and I said I'msorry, I didn't realize what you
were doing.
You were making connectionswith that student, and so that
has just transformed my thinking.
I'd become the kind of leaderand I was the kind of teacher
and the kind of leader that Ineeded growing up, and so that
would probably be kind of mybiggest leadership takeaway from
(07:04):
teaching.
Principal JL (07:06):
You bet.
I mean there's a lot of thingsyou unpacked there.
Jamie, you talked aboutsomething that's really
important relationships.
If you think you can do thisjob without building
relationships, I say good luck,because you got to build those
relationships in order for thesekids to be successful
relationships in order for thesekids to be successful.
(07:27):
So I think you know, I applaudyou on being able to, you know,
take a step back and reflect onthat and be able to say you know
what?
This is something I can getbetter at.
I can learn and grow and becomea better teacher, but also
become, you know, a betterleader because of it, and I
really appreciate that.
So you talked about a book youwere writing.
Is that like embargoedinformation?
(07:47):
Is this something we can't talkabout, or is this something we
could maybe let people know?
You know about your book.
So I'd really like to talk alittle bit about the book and
maybe kind of you know what isit about?
What can it do for people?
But you know, is it out yet?
Is it?
You know?
Is it on the?
What can it do for people?
But you know, is it out yet?
Is it?
You know?
Is it on the shelves or issomething that's coming?
Jayme Braida (08:10):
Yeah.
So it's not out yet.
I'm not even sure.
I've never wrote a book.
You know, I don't know how to.
I'm going to figure out how toself-publish or whatever I need
to do.
So it's not quite out yet.
I'm thinking maybe fall, but itis finished with some minor
edits that need to be made.
But again, it starts with mychildhood and goes all the way
through the current time, reallyjust talks about every season
(08:34):
of my life, the events, thepeople, the things that happened
to me.
I grew up with some trauma, soI talk a lot about the trauma.
You know I grew up with sometrauma, so I talk a lot about
the trauma.
But everything that happenedshaped who I am as a mom, as a
(08:59):
partner, as a leader, and sothere is something to be
vulnerable and share thosethings authentically.
We can show up better forpeople, we can give space for
them to show up as their trueselves.
And I also think that it'sthrough, like thinking back on
my story, my experiences andgoing through these leadership
lessons, and as I was writing Istarted to realize like all
(09:20):
these things have shaped myvalues.
I value connections becausepeople connected with me.
You know.
I value relationships because Ineeded relationships
desperately and I needed to beseen, and that's actually the
title of the book is Seen, heard, valued, because that's what
kids and staff need.
And so my message throughoutthe book has to do with
(09:41):
connections, relationships,seeing people, showing up not
perfectly, because again kind ofanother underlying theme is
being imperfect and just showingup as your true self.
It's more about less abouthaving all the answers and being
perfect and more about showingup with intention so that you
(10:02):
can connect and lead others well.
Principal JL (10:05):
Wow, I think that's going to be something
people are going to want to getand so I think coming up.
I'll follow you on Instagram soI'm pretty sure you'll have
some sort of reveal maybe comingup and I'll definitely share
that out to my audience whenthat time comes as well.
And then, when it does come out, I'll probably link it to the
show notes here so people whenthey hear this episode can can
(10:28):
find your book easily.
So I want to put that in there,but at the same time, this
coming down the road people.
So, with that said, you came,did you go from teacher to the
literacy instructional coach ordid you kind of do do both at
the same time?
Tell me about that journey whenyou were doing the literacy
instructional coaching, becauseI believe you had that before
(10:49):
you became a principal.
What was that experience like?
Jayme Braida (10:53):
Yeah, so I had taught for about 10 years and I
had only taught fourth, fifthand sixth grade, so upper
elementary.
I knew I wanted to kind ofdiversify experiences, get down
to the lower elementary leveland so there was an opening for
K-2, k-2 instructional literacycoach and I knew nothing about
phonics and phonemic awarenesslike zero zilch.
(11:13):
So it's terrifying, but I knewif I was going to go lead a
building I wanted to have someknowledge and background in
foundational literacy.
So I became that instructionalcoach and did that for a year
and that was amazing.
I think that's a great pathwayIf principals are, if aspiring
administrators are thinkingabout getting into
(11:34):
administration, going into acoaching role first.
It was so helpful so I did thatfor a year and then got my
first principal job.
Principal JL (11:42):
You bet.
With that said, it sounds likeyou're kind of building your
career.
At first you didn't know whatyou wanted to do.
I was kind of the same way.
I actually went to college tobe a physical therapist and then
I found coaching football as mygig and that's got me in the
education.
But then you know, becoming ateacher, learning and growing
through that process and thenthe instructional coaching,
(12:05):
which is great because that's agood segue into being a
principal.
So what inspired you to come onover to be a principal?
What was that like?
Was it a tap on the shoulder?
Was it encouragement?
Was it like it's time for me todo this?
What was that experience likewhen you decided that I'm going
(12:25):
to go down this journey andbecome a principal of a school
building?
Jayme Braida (12:30):
And so I had a principal in college.
Well, she was a former schoolprincipal turned professor, and
I don't know what it is, butI've had two super impactful
educators in my life, who onewas a fifth grade teacher and I
became a fifth grade teacher,and the other one was this
professor who was a formerprincipal and I became a
(12:50):
principal.
And I remember thinking in myclass, as she formed a really
good relationship with me, Ithought to myself man, when I
get out of here I'm going to bea principal because I bet she
was an amazing principal and Iwant to be like her.
And then you get into teachingand I had all these
opportunities in both thedistricts that I'm taught in to
(13:11):
just take leadership roles, andI love that.
I love helping teachers, I loveserving others, I loved getting
to learn new things in thatrole and then share what I
learned with others.
And so I knew immediately Ithink I probably knew when I got
my first job I want to be aprincipal someday.
Of course, I waited a littlebit and then went.
I had young kids at the timeand so you know, I just knew
(13:35):
right away.
Principal JL (13:37):
And so did you have to apply to a lot of
different positions.
What was the journey like?
Just be going through theinterview process and get in
your first principal shift?
How did that process go for you?
And, and you know what was what, what was it like to actually
get that offer?
Jayme Braida (13:55):
And what was it like to actually get that offer?
Yeah, so I applied for abouttwo years before I even got an
interview.
I do think that coachingposition looked good on my
resume.
I think that might have helpeda little bit.
I know I was applying for a lotof these bigger school
(14:23):
districts in the city in DesMoines and I think they're
looking for either they kind ofgrow their own administrators or
they're looking for people withsome experience.
And then, of course, I havekids and so my radius was a
little bit limited because Ididn't want to move too far from
where we were living and moveschool districts.
So it took me about two years.
Principal JL (14:39):
I got my first interview and got the job.
So I think overall, I think youkind of hit on something like
you'll probably apply for morejobs and you'll get interviews.
That's a fact, I know.
Sometimes you have to bewilling to move your family and
sound like in your position likethat probably wasn't a great
great thing for you, so you hadto be patient.
So I really applaud that.
You know, taking two years ofapply and then once you had your
(15:00):
opportunity, you, you, younailed it and were able to get
that position.
I know for myself it took meeight times before I got my
first principal ship, but eachinterview led me to the next
thing, and so that that's kindof like my journey when I became
a principal.
Then, once you become aprincipal, it's easier to stay a
(15:22):
principal at other placesbecause of your experience.
Jayme, you kind of accomplishedsomething this past year, that
kind of get to be in thisfraternity or sorority of
principals.
You became the Iowa ElementaryPrincipal of the Year.
So I'd really like to know howdid you find out you were the
(15:44):
Elementary Principal of the Yearfor Iowa?
Jayme Braida (15:47):
So I knew that some people had nominated me.
Then it got down.
It was almost like a year-longprocess.
It got down to me.
Then it got down it was almostlike a year-long process.
It got down to, I think, eightof us and so from there they
notified us and we had to fillout quite a lengthy application
process with letters and essaysand different things, and it was
narrowed down to four.
This would have been in maybeFebruary, march, and with the
(16:11):
four of us they did onlineinterviews.
So there were a group of mypeers who interviewed me.
It's very similar to thissituation and the very next day
one of the principals who wasinterviewing me Heather Buckley
she was also a principal of theyear a few years ago she called
me and she said you know, oh mygosh, we loved your story,
(16:31):
because of course I share a lotof my story and my journey and I
thought, oh, it's the letdown,she's got it.
Oh, we loved your story.
But and she said, we'd love youto represent Iowa as the next
elementary preschool.
And I was like, oh, I still getlike teary thinking about it.
So, anyway, that's how thatwent, and of course I had to get
on the phone with my boss, bradBaker, and I called him and
(16:56):
said guess who's the principalof the year?
Yay, so there's a bigcelebration, you know.
And then after that cameNational Distinguished Principal
.
So I received that a few monthslater.
So just a lot of great coolthings happening.
Principal JL (17:11):
Were you able to attend the?
For you it'd be the NAESPconference out in Seattle.
Jayme Braida (17:18):
I did not attend that.
However, the secondaryadministrators were recognized
at that conference, theelementary distinguished
principals.
We actually are going toWashington DC in October, okay,
and so they fly us out there andwe have a big ball and
basically a two-day conference.
They're just kind of celebrateus and then to network and do
(17:39):
different things.
Principal JL (17:40):
So congratulations on that, that's.
That's great.
You'll be, you know, yeah, sowith with that being the
elementary principal of the yearfor Iowa, you know what does
this mean for you personally andprofessionally.
Jayme Braida (17:56):
Sure.
So when I it was my first yearas a principal the email came to
all of us and it said nominatethe principal of the year.
And I looked at my very goodfriend who was also a principal
and I said I'm going to beelementary principal of the year
someday and it was just thisbig out there dream.
But I was like I'm going to doit because I'm just going to
make, I'm just going to beawesome at what I do.
(18:18):
So I've tried to do that andI'm just so humbled that that
eight year eight I finally getto achieve that Some kind of
something I just put out in theuniverse Now I get to do to
achieve that.
So it's surreal, it's humbling,it means so much both personally
and professionally.
It just feels like aculmination of my story from
(18:39):
childhood to adulthood.
Like I said, the book SeenHeard Valued there's kind of a
subtitle which is One Child'sJourney from Overlooked to
Outstanding.
It's a story of survival, hopeand the power of leadership.
The award just reminds me somuch of why this work matters,
why we show up for kids andstaff every single day, and it's
(19:01):
just kind of a testament tothat and what this is all about.
Principal JL (19:04):
Awesome.
So what doors have opened foryou since being named the
Principal of the Year?
Jayme Braida (19:10):
So I've had a lot of people just reach out and
tell me congratulations, whichis cool.
Those, to me, I see as littledoors of opportunity to start
forming relationships withpeople, because you never know
who's going to help you out onyour journey, which has been
really cool.
Getting to make Instagram postswith people I run into at
conferences, you know, runninginto some speakers and just I
(19:31):
think when they hear, oh,there's the principle of the ear
, it's like, oh, their earsmight perk up, you know, or hey,
maybe we could connect with oneanother.
So that's been really cool.
But I think for me, the wholeentire principle of the year,
the biggest thing for me, isthat it was a catalyst for me to
have the courage to step intothis new, the courage to step
(19:58):
into this new I don't know stepinto this new chapter which is
doing podcasts and writing mybook.
I probably would not have gotthat ball rolling Someday.
I may have, but like, I feellike I'm ready and I could use
this as an opportunity to reallydo that and make it bigger.
Principal JL (20:13):
I think that's great.
I think creating a biggerimpact is definitely right in
the DNA of principles of theyear, because I know a few
people I'm not there yet, maybesomeday I don't know but my
whole podcast is just tohighlight people and all the
great things you do.
As a Principal, what issomething that you have done
(20:34):
that you're really excited aboutor you're proud of in your
leadership over the last youknow seven to eight years as
being a principal?
What is something that you know?
You really say you know whatthat that is.
You know why I do what I do.
That's the kind of impact Iwant to have on my building and
my students and my teachers youhave any stories about, you know
(20:55):
along those lines.
Jayme Braida (20:58):
Yeah.
So I think what a lot of myfriends and my educator friends
know me for is for someone whocreates cultures where everyone
feels seen, valued, seen, heardand valued From the custodial
staff to the teachers, the parasand the kids and their families
(21:20):
.
Like I said, I'm very like,imperfect, I'm unfiltered.
I just show up.
Sometimes I curl my hair in theoffice.
I did not find that.
I mean, I I wear tennis shoesand I don't like.
What you see is what you get andI don't know all the answers
and I will admit that a lot.
(21:41):
I don't know the answer to that, but I will show up with
intention around connections andmaking sure that you know I'm
leading people well and sothat's true for my leadership
and how I make people andeveryone feel.
But I also feel like when wetalk about a culture, well,
first of all, I believe that aculture can only rise higher
(22:03):
than the leader you're becoming.
I'm continuously trying to bethe best leader that I can be,
but when I think about myculture and my staff my staff
also they do such a good job ofmaking every child feel seen,
heard and valued.
I'm so proud of how my staffand the staffs that I've led.
You know, we we are done withthe clip charts.
(22:25):
We're about relationships,we're about connecting, we're
about meeting kids, not justtheir physical needs, cause
there's a lot of needs at the K2level, a lot of hungry kids
coming in, tired kids especially.
You're in the first week ofschool, everybody.
Well, you got high school,though, so I hope you don't have
a lot of coach.
Principal JL (22:42):
Oh, we got needs trust.
We have a lot of needs.
We do serve a large free andreduced population in our
community and so we havefamilies from all walks of life
and all different socialeconomic backgrounds.
So, yeah, we do have a lot ofstudents with needs.
(23:05):
Like you said, it's aboutbuilding those connections,
creating that welcomingenvironment in your building,
because sometimes that'sprobably the best place those
students are at during the day.
Their home lives may be a wreck.
They may not have the supportat home as they would at the
school.
So trying to create thatenvironment for all students and
(23:25):
all staff I know for me isreally important because I'm
really big on creating thatculture and it sounds like
you're kind of in that same boat.
You want to create that culturefor your staff and your
students to learn.
So because if they don't havethat they're not going to learn,
and it's kind of been myphilosophy as well.
So I think you know, I thinkwe're seeing eye to eye on those
(23:46):
things on that end.
Yes, sorry if we, you know,interrupted everything there,
but building culture, makingpeople feel welcomed and those
things like that what I knowyou've been.
I want to go to this now.
Come back to this, thatquestion but I want to talk
about maybe.
You're doing some stuff on IG.
You talk about being imperfect.
(24:07):
I've seen some of your videosand some of the things like hey,
I am who I am.
I'm not a perfect person.
So what kind of inspired you tokind of put out those different
Instagram posts about yourperspectives and being imperfect
?
And hey, I don't have all theanswers, but I'm going to darn
(24:30):
it, I'm going to try hard sowhat inspired you to do those
type of posts on Instagram.
Jayme Braida (24:31):
I am myself in leadership.
I'm very authentic, I'm veryimperfect and unfiltered, and so
I want to show up to myInstagram friends the same way I
want to show up imperfect.
I want to show up unfilteredbecause we need leaders who are
willing to lead courageously asthemselves, and too many leaders
(24:54):
are leaving the profession toomany good leaders because it's
very, very hard and I feel likethey can't feel like they can
show up as their true self.
You know, I went through adivorce a few years ago, very
stressful, and I had a person Iwon't say specifically her role
because I think that'd give itaway but I had a person in my
(25:14):
school community who told me youcan't get divorced.
You are leading a school, youhave to keep your family unit
together, and that was.
I don't think she had badintentions, but it hurt so much
and you know it made me thinkyou know all the things that I
struggle with.
(25:35):
I can't bring that as a leader.
I have to keep that separate,compartmentalized.
I can't bring that into theleadership space and that's just
simply not true.
We're humans.
We have to show up.
That doesn't mean I went to workevery day and I fell apart or I
missed a bunch of work becauseI was going through tough times,
but I think it was okay for meto show up and say, hey, guys,
(25:56):
give me some grace today.
The divorce has been reallytough or we all are dealing with
stuff.
A lot of administrators areparents and, wow, I've gone
through some things with my kids, like you know mental health
stuff.
I have teachers that have kidswith mental health things and
when we show up as ourselves andcan share some of those things
(26:17):
and be ourselves, we inviteothers to do that as well.
That's a part of seeing,hearing, hearing and valuing
people is showing up as our trueselves so they can show up as
theirs.
So I just want to spread thatmessage to lots of leaders.
Principal JL (26:32):
I can get on board with that message, jamie,
because I'll be honest, I'vebeen and divorced myself been a
long, lot longer than just thelast couple of years but it is a
very tough thing to go throughas an adult, especially when you
have kids involved, and it'snot an easy thing.
So I'm glad you came out on theother side of it in really good
(26:53):
shape and things are going well.
But I think you mentionedsomething there that's really
important is asking people forgrace, say, hey, you know what,
I'm having a bad time, you'rebeing authentic, you're being
who you are and saying, hey, Imay not have it together today,
but give me some grace, we'llwork through together and we'll
(27:13):
get through the day and do whatwe got to do.
But there's just those times inleadership.
You got to be able to say thosethings to your staff and they
can see the real who you are,because we are people, we are
human, we have emotions.
We have to be able to take careof ourselves, so we could take
care of the people in ourbuilding as well.
(27:33):
So I think you kind of hit on avery important message there and
I think it's great that youwant to share that message.
You got this book that's comingout.
You're all over IG, you know,with it and I think for me, I'm
going to help you spread that.
I'm going to share your stuffand let people know as much as
possible, because I think if wework together within our
(27:54):
platforms, we can really getthat message out, because we
can't do this alone as well.
So now I'm going to go back toa question I would like to ask
is about inspiring leaders.
We have a lot of people thatlisten to this podcast that are
thinking about that next step.
They're thinking about, youknow, leaving the classroom and
(28:15):
becoming an administrator.
So what advice would you giveto aspiring leaders out there?
Jayme Braida (28:22):
Do I just let a class actually with the school
administrative of Iowa to let asession on for brand new
principles on how to build thatculture from day one.
So I'm going to go back to thata little bit.
Before you step into the role,there's a little bit of a season
of preparation.
I don't think there's.
People focus on the checklistof all the things I need to show
up perfect, I need to have theperfect back to school bash.
(28:43):
I actually did.
I had read Teach Like a Pirateso I'd build a pirate ship in
the library.
Yeah, that was cool, that wasfun.
I got some good pictures for myInstagram for the brevity of the
(29:05):
role and preparing myself, justreflecting on what kind of
leader I want to be, reflectingon my values, all those things
so that I could show up withintention on day one.
What kind of culture do I want?
What kind of actions and valuesam I going to have to hold to
create that kind of culture thatI want?
So just a lot of reflecting,because it is hard work and when
(29:26):
we have to make tough decisions, we have to know where we stand
and if we don't have our valueskind of secure, we have a
reflection on that.
It's hard to say when there's atough decision what way you're
going to go.
So I would say do somepreparation, work and again,
leading by example.
I have a lead acronym, you knowleading by example.
(29:48):
Embrace your story, align youractions and do the work.
So you know we can be imperfect, we don't have to have all the
answers, but we have to show upand just try our best to lead by
example.
Be authentically with intention.
Principal JL (30:00):
I think that's great advice, Jayme, for those
out there that are seeking thatprincipalship job down the road
is to be your authentic self andyou know what you get into.
That principalship you ain'tgoing to have the answers.
You know, there wasn't a lot ofpreparation.
You had your college courses,you did all that, but no one
ever tells you the hard stuff.
They don't really prepare youfor the reality of the role, and
(30:24):
that's kind of why it'simportant for us to have
different networking and beingable to go to different
resources, such as severalpodcasts out there that are on
educational leadership not justthis one, but there's other ones
out there.
So having some sort ofprofessional development for
yourself so you can becomebetter as well, so you can do
(30:46):
the role well.
Jayme Braida (30:48):
Yeah, and you said you know connecting learning
from others Truly.
Again, going back, I know itsounds like a broken record here
, but you don't have to have allthe answers.
I learned that as aninstructional coach when I went
down to K2 literacy I knewnothing, but I didn't do all
this prep work to learn all thecontent.
I showed up.
I told them I know this is new,I don't know a lot about
(31:11):
foundational literacy, but Iwant to learn from you.
They become an elementaryprincipal.
They can't possibly spend theirsummer learning all about the
things they need to know aboutan elementary teaching and
phonics and all that stuff.
But if they show up and arehonest with their staff about
what they need to learn andthey're willing to learn and
(31:32):
grow, they don't have to haveall the answers.
That will go a very long wayand we have a lot of great staff
members.
I have teachers in my buildingthat I still learn from every
single day.
Principal JL (31:45):
Yeah, I mean me too.
I mean I'm only in my eighthyear as a principal and there's
some staff member that like, hey, mr Lennon, maybe think through
some things, and usually I do apretty good job of that.
But it is nice to have thoseveterans staff looking out for
you and people you can learnfrom as well.
Talked about a lot of thingstoday.
Jayme.
You know what's next for you.
(32:06):
What do you see?
What's coming up?
You got a book coming out, gotthat down.
But what are some things thatget you excited about the future
for yourself in the profession?
Jayme Braida (32:16):
Well, like I mentioned earlier, I just
finished my book, so I'm hopingto publish it sometime this fall
.
I truly love what I do as anelementary principal, and so I
can see myself staying rightwhere I'm at my district's
awesome, my team's awesome, mystaff's awesome.
I really want to stay in thatrole for a while longer, but at
the same time, I really do wantto get my message out there.
(32:39):
I do feel like I have a greatercalling Not that principalship
isn't an amazing calling,because it has been my calling
for a long time, but again, Ijust want to get my story out
there and I want to help peoplelead Because, again, you can
have a great impact as a teacher.
You can have an even biggerimpact as a principal and even
bigger impact, you know, takingmy story, my message, worldwide.
Principal JL (33:05):
No, I know a lot of principals, like Dr
Edoho-Eket right, she's acurrent principal, she's a
national speaker, she's all overthe place and I like, oh hey,
you're doing a great job andit's really.
You know, it was really greatto connect with her out at the
national conference where I wentto one of her sessions.
But at the same time, man, youcan still do the work and then
(33:28):
have these side things whereyou're helping leaders grow and
those things like that.
And so I really I think you'regoing to do it, I think you're
going to make it there.
It's just going to take time.
You know, my side gig is apodcast.
I don't make money doing this.
I spend more money than I domaking it at this at this level.
It's just.
You know, this is a resourcefor those people out there that
need it, and I just lovebringing on different people
(33:49):
because I get to learn from them.
So it was a lot of fun, Jayme,to bring you in and learn from
you as well.
And so, Jayme, if listenerswanted to connect with you and
get to know more about youfollow you on Instagram how
could they do that?
Jayme Braida (34:04):
So I have a LinkedIn, which is just Jayme
Braida, and my Instagram.
I have kind of a personalaccount and then my professional
one, which is just my firstname, last name, Jayme Braida,
principal, unfiltered.
I actually have starteddabbling in some different
social media stuff, so I have alanding page.
I'm very impressed with myselfthat I could figure that out.
But if you go to my Instagram,you could subscribe and get my
(34:28):
weekly videos.
I put those out on the weekend.
It's just a one to two minutevideo about some of the stuff we
talked about how to show upwith clarity, purpose and
connection and do thatauthentically as your unfiltered
self.
And then there's some goodpractical tips that I've been
sharing in that as well.
And then, if you know, if youwant to find me I'm always
usually you'll find me fromabout 745 to 815.
(34:50):
I'm out dancing and on thefront lawn with the kids in the
morning, so as they're coming in, so that's where I'll be.
Principal JL (34:57):
I bet you, the kids love that.
All right.
So, Jayme, this was a greatconversation and I will put down
in the show notes your you knowInstagram accounts.
Anything you need me to have inthe show notes for people to
connect with you, We'll get thatin there for them to make it
real easy for people to to reachout and connect with you.
(35:17):
I think.
Keep following, because you'regoing to probably have this big
reveal down the road.
So you want to subscribe toJayme's account so you can keep
track of the great work that sheis doing as well.
Well, Jayme, it was greathaving you on the show today.
I learned a lot.
I hope our listeners learned alot.
It took a lot away from this.
I would really enjoy you hereand have a great night.
(35:40):
Is there anything you'd like tosay before we go?
Jayme Braida (35:43):
I just want to say thank you for having me.
I love getting to talk becauseI think every time we talk about
things like this and putourselves in, maybe kind of
stretch ourselves out of ourcomfort zones, it helps us to
grow, and answering questionsjust helps us reflect on how we
can become better leaders.
So I appreciate the opportunity.
Principal JL (36:03):
What a conversation with Jayme Braida.
I love how she is herunfiltered self as an educator.
We don't need to have all theanswers, we just need to show up
and do our best each and everyday.
Thank you, Jayme, for sharingyour journey with us, and if
this episode resonates with you,I would encourage you to share
(36:25):
it with someone who needs tohear it.
Please subscribe to thispodcast so you don't miss
another upcoming episode.
Until next time, be curious and1% better.
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