Erin Bigler Administrative Internship
Do what you feel in your heart to be right–for you’ll be criticized anyway. —Eleanor Roosevelt
My Story
Where it began
In my educational experience at Saint Mary's, one of the important aspects of leadership that has been taught over and over again is knowing your why. What is the reason you get out of bed every morning and go to work? What values guide your leadership? The values and purpose that drive my life's work began to take hold, most clearly, back in middle school. At this time, I started volunteering with the Courage Center's adaptive downhill ski program. In this experience, I learned that service and connection are two things that fill my bucket and help me feel as though I am fulfilling my purpose in life.
The values of service and connection are still principles that guide my work today. As a leader I strive to demonstrate, through words and actions, that I am here to support and serve the students and staff around me. In the words of Zaretta Hammond, I like to think of myself as a “warm demander”. I hold high expectations of every student and teacher, but I will also be their biggest advocate and always eager to celebrate successes along the way.
The school I envision leading is one where people feel like they belong to a work family. Every student and staff member is connected, supported, and cared for. Most importantly, people are inspired to work hard and help others by the values I convey as a school leader.
My Work
Here is a snapshot of my journey in education, so far.
I began my career as a special education teacher at Crestview Elementary. One of the most notable things I gained from this experience was a passion for instructional technology. In addition to providing special education support, I took on other leadership roles in this position, including starting our first student-led technology club and serving as our schoolwide technology coach.
These experiences led me to a new path in 2016, when I began working as our district's elementary technology integrationist. In this role, I learned how fulfilling educational leadership was. I enjoyed the ability to connect with teachers across the district and felt like I could make a larger impact beyond the 4 walls of my former classroom.
After serving as a technology integrationist, I realized one thing I missed was the connection of belonging to a specific school community. Fortunately, I was able to find a great fit, stepping into the role of Instructional Coach at Middleton and Cottage Grove Elementary. Here, I am able to continue serving in a leadership capacity, bring my passion of technology into many classrooms, but also connect with individual teachers and their classes on a deeper level.
In this current role, I have learned so much about what it means to be an effective instructional leader. I have pushed myself to learn more about important matters like equity in education, and addressing the social emotional needs of all learners.
I am confident that all of these experiences have shaped me into a strong leader and provided a wide foundation of knowledge that will serve me well as an aspiring elementary principal.