Linking Leaders PodCASt
Linking Leaders PodCASt features candid conversations with top educational leaders who come together to share experiences and explore pathways to success. In each episode, we engage with dynamic leaders to uncover real-life stories, practical strategies and bold insights on timely and relevant topics. Listen up to link up and let us help you expand your network of innovation and support!
Linking Leaders PodCASt
Transparency & Inclusive Decision-Making: A Conversation with Dr. Kristy Zaleta
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Discover the transformative power of educational leadership with Dr. Kristy Zaleta, the 2024 Connecticut Association of Schools Middle School Principal of the Year. Join us as Dr. Zaleta opens up about her leadership journey at Rogers Park Middle School, where honesty, vulnerability, and transparency have been pivotal in building trust and credibility. Learn her strategies for fostering leadership among educators through inclusive decision-making and recognizing team contributions. Gain insights into her commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all students, particularly multilingual learners, by adopting culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices.
Explore the inspirations and resources that have shaped Dr. Zaleta’s effective educational leadership. With reflections on the works of Dr. Sharroky Hollie, Simon Sinek, Brené Brown, Liz Wiseman, and Adam Grant, this episode is rich with thought-provoking ideas and practical applications. Tune in for a conversation that is as insightful as it is inspiring, and discover how these leadership principles can transform educational environments for both educators and students.
Hi and welcome to the Linking Leaders Podcast. Linking Leaders Podcast features candid conversations with top educational leaders who come together to share experiences and explore pathways to success. In each episode, we engage with dynamic leaders to uncover real-life stories, practical strategies and bold insights on timely and relevant topics. Listen up to Link Up and let us help you expand your network of innovation and support.
Speaker 2Welcome to the Linking Leaders Podcast. I am your host, Dr Alicia Bowman, and today I'll be chatting with Dr Christy Zalta, recently named 2024 Connecticut Association of Schools Middle School Principal of the Year. Christy is the principal of Rogers Park Middle School in Danbury, Connecticut. Rogers Park enrolls students in grades 6-8 and is one of the five secondary-level schools that make up a total of 18 schools in the Danbury Public School District, a district with over 11,000 students representing a wide spectrum of socioeconomic groups and diverse backgrounds. Christy, it's an honor to welcome you to the Linking Leaders podcast.
Speaker 3Thank you so much for inviting me. I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 2Excellent. So to get us kind of warmed up, christy, if you had to name just a few and I know there's a lot what qualities have led to your success as a school leader?
Speaker 3I think, as you said, there are many, but I think leading with honesty, vulnerability and transparency, building a foundation of trust and credibility, has been the thing that has helped me the most. I think without that, nothing else is possible. I pride myself on being a collaborator and a pretty good communicator, but if I don't have trust with the people with whom I'm collaborating or communicating, I can't do either of those, and so I think honesty, vulnerability and transparency is everything.
Speaker 2Yeah, that foundation and transparency is everything. Yeah, that foundation of trust is essential. I think early on in our career sometimes we think vulnerability and transparency can be a weakness, but it's really a strength to building that culture of trust.
Speaker 3To add on to that building trust piece having a sense of humor. You can't take yourself too seriously and a little bit of self-deprecation doesn't hurt, I agree.
Speaker 2So, as we read your press release and spoke to colleagues about your leadership, a theme emerged around your ability to develop great leaders and build the capacity of the educators around you. Can you share a specific example of a leadership practice that demonstrates your commitment to building great leaders at Rogers Park?
Speaker 3Sure, I think the most important one has been including teachers and decision-making opportunities. Also students, but really, what the educator had on right now, taking surveys of teachers, having conversations whether they're scheduled or impromptu having action teams that are led by a multitude of different people I don't need the same people to be on all of the teams and I need people that don't think the same as I do or who I know are going to push back and say, well, did you consider? Or? But did you know? And yeah, I want to know, I want to make sure that you know what I see is as our path forward is going to be a buy-in from teachers, and you can't do that if they don't have a voice in it. And that goes with kids too.
Speaker 3But sticking to the educator part, I think also I am not too proud to say it wasn't my idea. There are so many people around me that have better ideas or when they hear it, they build onto it or I own theirs, and so kind of elevating people, really just taking what people are amazing at and elevating them and shouting them out and giving them credit, and you know we all like to feel good about the things that we do and valued for it and I think, just paying that forward and empowering and showcasing great ideas and great people, and I think as a leader.
Speaker 2it's also a testament to your ability to let go. Like you let go of some things and, like you said before, it's okay to make mistakes or laugh at yourself. So if you're modeling that as a leader, it gives permission for others, you know, and you don't have to own it all, which is excellent. So RPMS is a culturally diverse school, like I mentioned, with a significant number of multilingual learners, which makes it really special. What leadership are you most proud of when it comes to ensuring a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students?
Speaker 3I think when people say you know, educate all students, it's always with the best of intentions. But I'm really proud that when we say all, we mean all and we talk about our students and our teachers. You know, sometimes some of them are afraid to start because they don't want to do anything like, they don't want to do harm. No one gets into this wanting to not do the right thing for kids. When you teach in an urban, diverse district, you have to love the challenge of what did the kids need this year? You know I've been here for too many decades and I think about when I was first here. I didn't even know how many MLLs we had, and we had, you know, about half of what we have now. I didn't have them in my class because it was only 21% of the whole population, and now you know we're almost 46 percent and we want them embedded everywhere. And so we train teachers on PSYOP and now we're looking at TELP. And how do you infuse these amazing strategies into everything Because it's good for all kids? And when we talk about all, we mean all culturally and linguistically responsive teaching. We started pre-COVID with Zaretta Hammond's book CRT amazing read and that we dropped it at the COVID and then came back to it and then we've just been elevating that. We're working now with Dr Holly in this idea of being culturally and linguistically responsive and it's embedded in there.
Speaker 3But we have to validate and affirm students' cultural behaviors and they're not wrong just because the dominant culture says that you shouldn't cross-talk. Well, guess what? I'm an Italian family who cross-talks all the time, so I don't mind when some of my students come in and we're talking over each other. I do that with my own peers. Like we're talking, we're going into 42 different circles, we get back to the end. But hey, in your classroom it doesn't have to be. Everybody raises their hand, but sometimes it does, and so you build and bridge that cultural behavior and it's a culture switch and so, and so you're building this accountability for students and you're teaching them how to to shift what they're doing. That's appropriate for the time, and and so that's that's the most important thing I think is is that when we say all, we mean all that's awesome.
Speaker 2So what's the best piece of advice that you've received from one of your Rogers Park Lions? Because we know you know tweens and teens. They're special and unique bunch. I might have some living with me right now, but what's the best piece of?
Speaker 3advice. I think in looking at you know, reflecting back, especially the past couple of years, past COVID, at you know, reflecting back especially the past couple of years past COVID or post-COVID, rather, it's a be humble and kind and so they can sniff out phony, fake, insincere people, like the best of them and I love that about them, and they will do just about anything for you, as long as they truly believe that you authentically care about them. It's that authenticity and also like never underestimate their ability to surprise you. I love an underdog.
Speaker 3Our school is where underdogs were scrappy and that's that's how I grew up. To the school I went to. People oftentimes do underestimate our kids. Last year we had a child who was blind, who was an ESL student, who started the beginning of the year not speaking a word of English, learned English, learned English, braille was translating. Like our students can do things if you raise the bar. And then we talk about being a warm demander. Raise that expectation, meet them where they're at and help them along the journey, because the journeys are different. We all have different journeys. But, yeah, humble, kind and don't ever underestimate them.
Speaker 2So back in March, if you can think back to then, which feels long ago, you and I were both fortunate enough to be in the presence of Dr Adolph Brown III. He was the keynote speaker at our CAST's annual leadership conference, and Dr Brown encouraged leaders to practice self-care. He said prioritize self-care and make time for activities that nourish your mind, body and soul, whether it's reading a book, going for a walk in nature or indulging in your favorite hobbies. Remember to take care of yourself along the way. Christy, how do you take care of yourself?
Speaker 3Well, if you asked me this a few months ago, I, that's a different answer, but I am a work in progress. I think we all are. I've been using my 40X training and I've got my personal wig. My wildly important goal for the summer was really making, you know, taking care of me. You know, first and foremost, you know exercising as a priority, as a means of stress reduction. I love to read, though, and so I will devour.
Speaker 3When I came home from that training that weekend, I read the 40X book and the leader in me that I got at the March conference. I devoured it, and now I'm talking it up. And how am I going to implement this? And it's always processing the back, so I don't count that as work, because it's my own capacity. I mean, I also do read for pleasure, like that's also a thing I do right before bed, but I also have learned, you know, to have something to look forward to.
Speaker 3So this year, what I do like a Friday, Monday off, because I never really take time, you know, except for like the breaks Like last year I was so bad at that, but I make with myself. I'm like you are not going to work and I have my family hold me accountable for that and I did it. I was off for a nice long five days for Fourth of July. I didn't work, and now I'm back. I got three days. Great, get to it.
Speaker 3Like many of us, I love my job, I love what I do and it doesn't feel like I'm working too much. But this year I'm going to be back with my calendar what I do and it doesn't feel like I'm working too much, but this year I'm going to be back with my calendar. I'm going to learn how to chunk it better to like the family time, the school time, the reading time. I'm going to heard about five o'clock group or so. I forget how it's like the 2020 thing yes, yeah, you may have heard that on this podcast episodes back. Oh, my God, that really connects with me. I'm up that early anyway. Why not make it like super specific and meaningful, so things like that? I plan to be here for many, many years, so I need to be at my best.
Speaker 2I love it. I could tell you're a learner at heart and, like you, I devour books. Like they kind of make fun of me here at CAS because I can't wait till I get the next book and I too am going on vacation, but I definitely ordered like a total geek book to take with me and I don't see it as work. I just genuinely am so interested in like soaking it all up, so I'm with you on that one. So, as with every new school year, new opportunities come. So, in your opinion, what's something our schools need to get right in 2024, and why?
Speaker 3I think, focusing on what the students in front of you today need to succeed not the students you had last year, not the ones three years ago or even five years from now, but who in front of you right now. What are their needs? They're different, they are so different and what? Everything that you may have done last year may not work this year. And like, really look at, are they succeeding? Are they academically where they should be? Are they growing? Are they achieving? And if they're not, change what you're doing. Just change it, like you can't keep doing the same thing over and over. We all know that whole insanity thing. And if they are like, that's awesome. What can they improve? What skills do they need in five years to be successful?
Speaker 3So AI is a big hot topic and I'm loving learning about that, and there was a slide shown to us in one of our meetings and I think it was Microsoft. I'm going to mess up some of the data, but it was like 70% of the companies say I would rather hire a student or an incoming person that knows and can work with AI than someone who has maybe higher content knowledge. So if we're jumping on that bandwagon and getting kids and we got to get on that, and I love a quote not a cambia, see, not a cambia. Nothing changes if nothing changes, and so we all have room to grow and move, and no matter the type of district you're in or the students that you have in front of you, no matter your level, you got to look at what they need now, because it's different than yesterday, last year and five years from now. So that would be really focused on the students in front of you today. How are you going to help them succeed better and change what's not working? Don't be afraid of it.
Speaker 2I like that. I also feel like mixed into that is that idea too, christy, that you can let things go that aren't working, like take that off your plate, so like that was something that you maybe have been doing for many years, but if it no longer works, remove it. You don't need to keep adding and adding and adding, so it gives you permission to start fresh, and that's a joy of education. Like every new year is literally a new year, and so that's the fun of it. All right, you ready for the Ignite round? We're going to try to go out rapid, speed, fast. All right, share one thing you learned in your previous career as a research scientist that has impacted your approach as an educational leader.
Speaker 3Data determines the path forward.
Leadership Reflections and Inspirations
Speaker 2Great. Who inspires you? Who are you listening to or reading about or following?
Speaker 3Oh, yeah, yeah, that's a long list. I'm obsessed with um, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching the brain. So shiraki, holly, um leadership. I love simon sinek, bernie brown, liz wiseman's multipliers. Obsessed with that adam grant thinking again like edutopia, linking leaders. I do love this podcast. I love hearing what other colleagues are doing and thinking about better leaders, better schools. I I love podcasts too Middle school, walk and talk, chat, edu, learning about that, ai, outrageous love which goes with Dr Holly, outliers in education and a bit of optimism from Sinek. Those are my what I walk and talk and listen to, love it.
Speaker 2You named several of my favorites, so much so that I kind of think we're friends, but we're really not. But in my head we are. We know each other. Yeah, like I'm Brit and I definitely are friends. If you were to pick one or two pieces of compression, so like a condensed thought or saying and I've heard some that you've already said what would?
Speaker 3they be. I think my favorite one is don't teach in spite of learning, teach to ensure learning. I say that a lot to a lot of people, because we can't admire problems, we need to solve them. But it ties with one of my favorite quotes which is posted all over my school. Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture. It's not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs. Love it.
Speaker 2Is there something about leadership that you've rethought?
Speaker 3recently. I mean so many things. I'm constantly reflecting, rethinking, I think, one of the things that actually. Just this past weekend I read a book to help me better visualize how we're going to do this PBIS rollout. And Dr Hawley says it may be your first thought, but don't let it be your last thought. And so I read his book, with Daniel Russell, on how to support underserved students with PBIS. Pbis is not inherently culturally and linguistically responsive. It's about the dominant culture and their expectations. But this amazing book that he wrote talks about how you infuse the CLR stuff, the vabbing that we do, into PBIS. So that has been my thought because, leaving the year, I had an idea, but it's going to be changing. I love it. Can you say the title of the book again? Supporting Underserved Students how to Make PBIS Culturally and Linguistically Responsive, by Sharaki Ha'i and Daniel Russell.
Speaker 2Jr. I think a lot of people are going to pick that book up. What hidden talent do you have that helps you in your role as school principal?
Speaker 3I think knowing other people's talents and their interests and being able to connect them together. So if I'm hearing somebody talk about an idea they have, I'm like, hey, you better talk to so-and-so, because they also are aligned with what you're talking about. And so kind of seeing other people's strengths and talents, but also like seeing a bigger picture, and not only just within our school but within our district. Or you know things that are hot topics in education, like how do we infuse that, and so trying to tie all that together, you're a connector.
Speaker 2That's for sure. What's the best leadership moment you've had since becoming an educational leader?
Speaker 3There's been a lot, but I think, in reflecting again on this year, at our promotion ceremony, our scholar leaders speak. So we have two of them and one does the future, one does the past. And we're walking up or processing in and she hands me this and I switch my whole speech. I want to do this. I'm like, ok, I mean, how bad can this be? These are amazing kids. Ok, it's going to be OK.
Speaker 3And she got up there and just about brought all of us under the tent to tears. She wrote a letter to her sixth grade self to talk about this journey and it was beautiful. But what touched me the most is that we have our vision statement and she hit on all of the things without hitting on them. And I don't think she meant to, I just think she talked about her experience. I'm like my God. Yes, we want you to feel loved, supported and a sense of belonging, and she talked about that. We want you to even yourself and have the skills needed to go to high school and beyond, and she talked about how prepared she felt and how amazing her teachers were. And we want you to speak truth to power and collaborate for change, and she talked about how she was part of these decisions. The superintendent was next. I was like she just talked about our vision statement without knowing she talks about our vision statement and that tells me that we are living our mission and that, to me, is the best thing ever. Wow, absolutely, that's awesome.
Speaker 2What's one thing I should have asked you, but I didn't.
Speaker 3What I'm looking forward to most this coming year. Okay, that would be our seven block.
Speaker 2So we are, I see it on the back behind you. It's real. That's my team.
Speaker 3They were here writing, they were here when I wasn't even here. So this seven block is this PBL infused application of skills and knowledge aligned to the porch of the graduate for the district, aligned to standards, but in a way that's more engaging I mean, I don't want to say more engaging, because that implies that other things we do aren't but it's bigger than ourselves. It's taking all of this and it's making our community a better school community, making Danbury a better community. It's exploring career options. The aim is to connect that authentic learning with an authentic audience and all aligned with interests and passions of both teachers and students and students.
Speaker 3So my favorite one to talk about because I'm just going to keep putting it in the universe and it's going to happen is one of our buildings is blech. Nobody likes the front of our building. It was built in the 70s. It doesn't look like an engaging place. You want to come and learn and then you walk in and see how amazing we are.
Speaker 3So my dream and I share this with many of my former science folks I need teams to like let's redesign the front of our building. So you need to be a planner, you need to be a marketer, you need to be out there talking to the mayor and there's so many different facets to just redoing the front of a school. You got to talk to the facilities guys, and I don't want the teachers to do this and the teachers want the students to do this. We all want to create this. Like you can do this, but while you're doing it, you're learning about what an urban planner does. You're learning about, not different.
Speaker 3You want to learn how to do mathematics. Go measure out there and figure out one and what square all of the things I love that. Learn this. You need to learn this so you can do this in six, seven years, like you need to, to be a part of our community too, and like how cool it be when you drive by with your own kids one day, like you see that out there. We created that when I was like a seventh grader, a sixth grader, an eighth grader, like that is we have, we're a seven drop, one scheduled and I can't wait for that seven block because it's it's just going to be amazing.
Speaker 2That's awesome. I love everything about it. When I was principal of a fifth and sixth grade school, we used to do this bear aware fair, because we had so many bears in our community and we would learn about them and then we would invite the community to teach them about what do you do? We invite, like the senior citizens and all different community members so that they could understand how to deal with this real life problem. But it's that kind of authentic, purposeful meaning. It's great. Is there something you'd like to ask me, christy?
Speaker 3Yes, how has your experience both at the building and central albinate cabinet level, how's that shaped your understanding and beliefs of what you believe to be an effective school leader, and what does that look like for you?
Speaker 2That's a great question. I can't tell you how many times I now in the role I'm in now. I think, gosh, if I was a building leader today, what I would like to kind of hit, rewind and try again and feel like I have you know, like you continue to just learn and grow. But I think the perspective piece is so important because we often take for granted and make assumptions about people in general. And so I think, being mindful that there's periods in our lives where people can be more or less committed in their role and I learned this from central office because I was less close to the people on the dance floor and that everyone has things going on in their life, right, like that invisible backpack type thing. And so sometimes, when our educators have to maybe be less involved in those extra committees, or they can't facilitate a club or an activity or it could be because there's something else going on there, and so often we jump to making assumptions that they're less committed or they don't care anymore, especially now because it works really hard.
Speaker 2So I think, just being mindful that everybody has things going on and that we really have to know our people deeply to be able to build that trusting culture, like you talked about, and everybody is equally as valuable to the organization. Just like you said, you have those new learners in front of you and you can start fresh. What do they need? And so knowing your people and knowing what they need and taking the time to really know them and care about them. So I guess it's really about not making assumptions, recognizing that people bring their whole selves to work and modeling that as a leader with the way that you approach others and yourself. Love that. Thank you, thanks. Thank you. So, christy, where can people go to find out more about you and your work and Rogers Park, but you can find us at Rogers Park Middle School.
Speaker 3It's Danbury, connecticut, not Chicago, because we've actually have talked to the people in the Rogers Park Middle School in Chicago, because we've gotten some cross email somehow. It's why, yeah, yeah, I just got middle school website. We have an awesome webmaster, one of our teachers. I'm always with email Z as in zebra A-L-E-T-K at danburyk12.ctus. I love to talk, as you could tell. I'm happy to talk to anybody. You can email me. I'll give you my cell phone. I won't put it on here, but I'm happy to reach out and talk to anybody and learn anything.
Speaker 2Thank, you so much, dr Christy Zalita, principal of Rogers Park Middle School in Danbury, connecticut, and the 2024 Connecticut Association of Schools Middle School Principal of the Year. Thank you for your vulnerability and your transparency in this really engaging conversation. Thank you for your vulnerability and your transparency in this really engaging conversation. The mission of the Linking Leaders podcast is to connect the amazing educational leaders across our small state, one conversation at a time, and I'm confident that your inclusive decision making, your ability to bring in diverse perspectives, your mission that all meets all and your warm, demanding style will spark ideas, create conversation and inspire action from our colleagues throughout the state. Christy, my sincere gratitude for joining me today and to our listeners, stay connected to CAS and listen up for our next episode of Linking Leaders.
Speaker 1Thanks so much for joining us for this episode of the Linking Leaders podcast. This episode is brought to you by the Connecticut Association of Schools, serving schools and their leaders since 1935.