Jacqueline Sanderlin
School Principal
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.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationJacqueline Sanderlin
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
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.
After college, she took a job as a special education teacher in the Compton School District.
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.
Growing up, she'd had a comfortable childhood; now she was working with students from foster homes, students in poverty, etc.
Says people told her the first rule of being a new principal was "never have a vision"-she decided to break that first rule.
As principal of Foster Elementary School, her vision is, "Why not? Why shouldn't these students have the same opportunities as an affluent area?"
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.
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.
Education
High School
Career
School Principal
I monitor student achievement and ensure our students receive a quality education, along with exposure to the arts.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Art
Education
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
I feel like it is my obligation to create a great atmosphere for our scholars to learn, play, and grow in. I spend a lot of time developing new programs for our students. I build my job around two words: "Why not?" That's always been my vision and so I work with our faculty and community members to ensure that our students have everything that students in more affluent areas would have.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Keep dreaming...once you lose your dream, that's it! Foster your talents and raise the bar.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"Maybe I can't make as much of a difference as I thought."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation College Student
