What were the most impactful insights or lessons you gained from the conference?

• Although leadership can sometimes feel lonely or isolating, we are not alone. There are incredible and inspiring leaders all over the country who share the same values and commitments as we do—find them and connect with them!
• Student engagement and student achievement are important. As a society, we have been focusing on achievement for so long without considering that our actual goals for students like self-advocacy, happiness, and excitement about learning extend beyond what can be written in a standard.  
• We need each other in this work. Our relationships are central to the success of our schools.

How do you plan to apply these takeaways to your work?

I plan to focus on instructional coaching with an emphasis on supporting my educators and students with student engagement as well as achievement. I will continue to build relationships with members of our educational community and will not hesitate to reach out to some of the mentors and leaders who I have met at UNITED.

What were the most valuable connections or relationships you built at the conference?

I was able to see some incredible people who I have been getting to know online for two years through NAESP Communities of Practice in person for the first time. It has been extremely valuable to spend time together and to laugh alongside each other this weekend outside of the Zoom screens.

How do you intend to nurture and leverage these new professional connections moving forward?

This school year, it was hard for me to engage in my communities of practice like I was able to in the past. I plan to reintegrate this time back into my schedule so that I can continue to spend time with these people.

Which conference sessions or speakers did you find most compelling, and why?

I really enjoyed Gholdy Muhammad’s keynote address. I love that she challenged us to think about our current learning standards, curricula, assessments, and evaluations in a new way by contemplating “Where is the genius? Where is the justice? Where is the joy?” I also appreciated that she provided lesson plans and staff meeting ideas; it is always great to walk away from a keynote with actual strategies and tools. I cannot wait for her to publish her new book of lesson plans.

Principal Baruti Kafele’s session, “What Is My Value Instructionally to the Teachers I Supervise?” was amazing. In particular, he made a number of impactful points about how, when he goes into schools to coach and consult with school leaders, he is looking to “see the leadership without having to see the leader.” He then posed questions that made me think about how I organize and approach each school day. Two of my favorites were:

• “Can one sense the mission and vision without having to read them?” and
• “What was the principal’s message to the school this morning?”

This was incredibly inspiring; I cannot wait to implement some of his ideas.

Delaney Rosenberg is principal of Ellis School in Fremont, New Hampshire.

Read more session notes in the NAESP Conference Blog.