President's Perspective

CASTING YOUR VISION

Stacy DeFoor, AAEA Board President

Hello AAEA, I would like to introduce myself and tell you how honored and excited I am to serve Arkansas administrators and the AAEA. I am beginning my third year as Assistant Superintendent at the Benton School District. Prior to that I served ten years as an elementary administrator in Conway, three years in Bigelow, and taught 3rd and 4th grade at Oak Grove Elementary in Pulaski County.

My wife, Stephanie, and I have been married for 29 years. We have three children—Caleb (23), Devin (20), and Haley (18). In my spare time, I enjoy hunting, fishing, CrossFit, and golf.

Casting your vision:

As the new school year will soon be upon us, I’m sure you’ve already been thinking about your goals, needs, and previous accomplishments. I hope that you have taken the time to celebrate your accomplishments with your team so they are aware of what went well. But what made these successes possible? Whether you are a district or building level leader, we all know that effective communication is a vital part of the success of a building and/or district. When thinking of your upcoming school year and goals, have you considered how you will communicate your vision? Some thoughts about casting your vision…

1. Have you gotten feedback from others on your team?

2. What does the data tell your team?

3. What additional stakeholders need to be involved?

4. What is the best avenue for communicating your vision? (Face to face, newsletter, social media, community meetings)

5. Communicate your vision early and often. Allow others to ask questions for clarity, and revisit your vision throughout the school year.

With the many demands of daily tasks, I encourage you to make a plan to communicate your vision and follow up on it throughout the year. If you only discuss the vision at a back to school meeting and never revisit it, you may find yourself wondering why it wasn’t successful at the end of the year.

I hope you take a moment to recharge your batteries this summer. Our teachers, staff, students, and families will need us fully charged in August.

I look forward to seeing you in July at our annual AAEA Summer Conference. Please reach out to me if I can assist you in any way.