1119. A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Educational Administrator?

“The most important part of being an educator, and it’s really crucial, is ‘Doing right by kids.’ You cannot do right by them if you don’t form strong, appropriate relationships with them. Kids need to know that you truly care about them and are genuinely invested in their success. The most important thing I can do as a classroom teacher is to ask my students questions about themselves that have nothing to do with our productive time together. Intrinsically they feel and understand that I have a vested interest in their growth and development as a person. The work I do is not about me, it’s about how I can better serve people, how helpful I can be to other people.”

Dr. Troy Podell, Supervisor of ELA and Humanities for the Downingtown Area School District and with responsibility to also coordinate Career Readiness Initiatives, is a disruptor and thought-leader in the education space. He has created innovative programs for career exploration and soft-skills education for the District and is also an Adjunct Professor for Secondary Social Studies Education at Relay Graduate School of Education in the Philadelphia area. Dr. Podell is recognized as a leader in curriculum, instruction, and the application of people analytics to education.