This month’s spotlight features Wintanna Abai, elementary school Principal. Read further to learn more about Wintanna and her career path as an educator.

Could you briefly explain some of your responsibilities in your current career role?

I have been a Principal of an elementary school for the last four years. Each year my school has grown in grades and student population so my responsibilities have expanded. I currently manage a staff of about 60 people – teachers, operational staff, data analysts, and the special education team. I spend a significant amount of my time as an Instructional Coach to my teachers. I also spend a large amount of time developing my Leader Team to be effective managers. I have two Assistant Principals we spend a lot of time planning instructionally, setting academic goals, observing classroom instruction, leading Professional Development, and anticipating problems in order to create better and stronger plans that are scalable. The rest of my Leader Team I regularly meet with and train to develop their direct reports, manage the budget, review safety procedures , data, and making sure our kids get the right academic and emotional services. I work with a predominantly black student population in a working class community, where about 85% qualify for free and reduced lunch. The mission is to provide a world class education for the kids. We offer dance, music, art, and theater. The kids go to science 5 times a week. It is a priority of mine to think about school quality not just through data on major exams but also through the education of the whole child. 

 How did you come to decide that this was the right career path for you?

I am not sure if I had a precise plan or vision to become Principal but I did feel deeply connected to the mission of serving our kids and inspiring others to see the power of creating opportunities and setting a high bar for adults so kids could be great.  My mom and aunts are a big reason why I do this kind of work.  I am fortunate that my mom gave me a lot of liberties in terms of making the right career choice as long as I finished school. I grew up going to rallies, learning a lot about history and oppression, and questioning laws and systems around me that impact people that look just like me. I have always loved kids and the further along I went in the education system I became increasingly aware of the lack of black people around me. I went to Boston College and majored in Sociology and Philosophy with an emphasis on Social Justice. As I learned more and more about the history and laws in this country, I felt completely enraged by what was happening every day to our people particularly to those who were economically vulnerable. I went through a lot of unsettling emotions and began to volunteer as a Spanish and SAT tutor in a small after school program in Dorchester, MA. My students were incredible and hungry to learn and the more I learned about their schooling experience, the lack of resources, and most frighteningly where they were at academically I was disturbed. It was like everything I was learning about now had a face, a story, and dreams. At that time, I was considering going to law school and wanted to get into public policy but I also wanted to make an impact in the lives of students like the ones I worked with in Dorchester . After graduating from BC, I moved to NY – without a job lined up, but with a desire to pursue teaching, particularly in Harlem. I moved to Harlem and eventually got a job and taught 1st and 3rd grade in a classroom for several years before becoming a Principal.  The time I spent as a teacher allowed me to learn a bit more about what I was advocating for. Each year of teaching, I became a better, smarter, and more thoughtful person. My kids changed my life. They gave me perspective, they were resilient, and beautiful, and intelligent. In my fourth year of teaching, I was promoted to be an Assistant Principal in the South Bronx. My class that year was in the top 0.1% of the state – outperforming kids from affluent neighborhoods like Scarsdale and Westchester.  I was an AP for one year in the South Bronx and learned so much – I was working in Mott Haven which is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the US and despite what every article and news story said, it was full of greatness. My kids were great and intelligent and hungry to learn. The school that year earned a Blue Ribbon which was an honor to be a part of. I then got promoted to be the founding Principal of a school in Flatbush, Brooklyn  which is where I have been for 4 years where I have watched my school grow. Every day, I have the opportunity to make an impact in a kid’s life and it’s incredibly rewarding, tiring, and energizing all at the same time.  

You’ve been in the field of education since 2011, what are some of the challenges you’ve encountered and how have you navigated them? 

Each year that I started a new role, I contemplated quitting multiple times. I was putting my entire heart into the work, I felt the urgency of the problems, struggled with my work life balance, and I felt like a failure daily. I battled with imposter syndrome, questioning if I was good enough, smart enough, and I often put a heavier weight on myself because as a black, first generation immigrant I believed every mistake I made was one step backwards. I spent many of my working years lacking perspective. I was so unproductively hard on myself, skipped over every piece of praise or accomplishment, and fixated on what needed to improve. As I reflect on this today, I recognize that this was unhealthy and negatively impacted my growth. If I could redo it all over again, I would be less fixated on my deficits, do more strength spotting, and be more patient with myself. While everyone was celebrating me for getting promoted or my students’ test results,  I only saw the problems. Culturally, the standard is to be the best but we also spend a lot of time dwelling on what is wrong with us. It felt like my white counterparts were not experiencing the same kind of guilt and negativity. I am working on using positive psychology – recognizing my own strengths and the strength in others and utilizing them to promote growth and improvement. I am working on accepting that I am not perfect but also not being hard on myself about it. I honestly have a ways to go but I  feel happier, and the quality of my work and the relationships with the people I manage has dramatically improved because of it. 

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? 

My kids. They make me laugh every single day. They are literally so intelligent and so proud to be Black and from Flatbush. I love that. I walk into a kindergarten class and they are in science and I see my girls up there discussing their hypothesis so eloquently  – and I am thinking “go off sis!” I see kids debating the central idea of poems and the author’s use of repetition. I can’t wait until they go to college and bring their blackness all up and through Harvard’s classrooms. We talk a lot as a staff about making our kids feel proud about where they came from and always bringing it back to the idea of coming back to Flatbush. I guess in short – I feel most fulfilled thinking about the future. 

You’ve been in elementary education for your entire career, what are three things parents can do to prepare their child to be a successful student in elementary school?

Only one piece of advice – Make reading sacred. Never use it as a punishment. Let your kid explore what they are interested in.  Read with your kid. The success rates of my students who love to read and whose parents read to them nightly is outrageous.  

When I was a kid, my mom did not have enough money for us to travel but every month we would get a book from the library that took place in another country and my mom would tell me that that was the trip we were taking that month. At the end of the month she would take me to a restaurant from that country and we would discuss the book and all that I learned about the culture. It made me see books as opportunities and gave me a deep respect for other cultures. It is a source of power – even if you think about history if you want to break someone you take away their access to books and I think inversely if you want to uplift someone give them a book. 

Currently, what is your greatest professional accomplishment? 

Last year my school took the NYS State Exams for Math and ELA for the first time and we were #1 in the state and had 100% of kids pass both tests. I am proud that it was black kids and a black Principal. 

How do you mentally/emotionally handle the demands of your job? 

Well, I am a recovering perfectionist and my kids and school mean a lot to me. So this has certainly been the most challenging part of my professional development. I spoke to this before but to add on a bit you just have to give yourself a new chance every day. Set boundaries for yourself and others. It is hard to find the balance of being there for yourself and others. Also being approachable can’t mean you are always available! 

How do you create an environment in your school that allows your students to thrive? 

I have a staff of people who believe in our kids and are willing to examine their role within their own privilege  as well as share with the kids where they came from and why they are here. I think that is important. Kids and adults can sense when someone is their authentic self – it is the foundation of respect and an environment where kids feel safe to be themselves. 

We also have high expectations for ourselves and for our kids and when things go wrong we always start by examining the adults and our choices, not the kids. 

I greet every single kid with a hug or handshake when they walk in so regardless of what challenges they may be facing they are greeted with love and a fresh start. 

And lastly grit – the theme of our school this year is The Marathon Continues inspired by the late,  great Nipsey Hussle. No one in the building gives up and all of our energy is to invest in the wonderful neighborhood of Flatbush – home of kids that will change your life. 

What’s one piece of advice you would give someone looking to transition into your line of work?

Ok I have a few! 

Education specifically – the key to doing well in this environment is not the degrees it’s about heart. Believing and understanding the importance of the work we do and that it is unjust that people don’t see kids who look like us and think “genius”. 

Education and other careers – just go for it. I moved to NY with no job and no money. I became a nanny and was an introvert and shy and I was too nervous to go into interviews and sell myself. I had a support system that reminded me that we come from a strong lineage of people. If you don’t have that – find it. Your friends and family do not need to make a ton of money or have a great title but it is important to be around hungry people that lift you up. 

Outside of all of your hard work and efforts toward building your brand, what do you do for fun? Hobbies?

I love going out to eat, hanging out with my friends, and not making big decisions haha! I try to turn boss mode off and honestly go with the flow.