Jacqueline Sanderlin
Foster Elementary School
Compton, CA USA
"Raise the bar, don't lower it. Support, don't pity. Build, don't tear down. And give life, because we have the power to do that."
Career Roadmap
Jacqueline's work combines: Art, Education, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
When I first got into education, I was really excited and motivated. However, reality hit and the difficulties challenged me more than I thought. I was able to overcome this by listening to people and engaging with them more.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Graduate Degree
Special Education and Teaching, General
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Doctorate
Educational Leadership and Administration, General
Pepperdine University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Her father was a teacher, and she used to go to class with him and work as his "secretary for the day"; was always intrigued by her dad's job.
2.
After college, she took a job as a special education teacher in the Compton School District.
3.
Says that her first job helped her understand that teaching is a "broad" field-it has to work for students of all races, cultures and abilities.
4.
Growing up, she'd had a comfortable childhood; now she was working with students from foster homes, students in poverty, etc.
5.
Says people told her the first rule of being a new principal was "never have a vision"-she decided to break that first rule.
6.
As principal of Foster Elementary School, her vision is, "Why not? Why shouldn't these students have the same opportunities as an affluent area?"
7.
Knew it wasn't enough for her to have a vision on her own, so she started going door-to-door in the neighborhood, talking to the community.
8.
Looked to the "Foster Elementary" name for inspiration and found out Stephen C. Foster was a composer; focused on building up the school's arts programs.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Maybe I can't make as much of a difference as I thought.
How I responded:
When I first got into education, I was really excited and motivated. However, reality hit and the difficulties challenged me more than I thought. I was able to overcome this by listening to people and engaging with them more.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I am the first in my family to go to college. My parents always supported me, but I didn't have anyone who had experienced it before there to help guide me.