From Classroom to Administration: My Journey as an Educator in Hillsboro School District

Hello, everyone. I am Alejandro Carrero, a proud Hillsboro School District School District educator.

I began my educational journey in the Hillsboro School District as a bilingual instructional assistant in 2014 at South Meadows Middle School while attending Portland State University to pursue my teaching degree. The connections I was able to make with students, families, and fellow educators, in addition to all of the support the district gave me throughout the early stages of my career, played a crucial role in strengthening my desire to pursue a career in education, and, more importantly, reassured my commitment to the Hillsboro community. Once I completed my licensing program, I was lucky to be hired by the same school where I worked as a bilingual assistant. As a new classroom teacher, I had much to learn and do, but I always felt supported by the school staff and the district. From seminars, workshops, and conferences in and out of state, there were always opportunities provided to learn and improve my instructional practices as an educator. Fast forward to six years later, I decided to transition into an administrative role. This was not a decision I took lightly since I genuinely enjoyed being in the classroom as a teacher; however, I knew because of my passion for instruction and the creation of equitable systems, I was going to be able to support more students, families, and educators alike in this new role.?

Currently, I am in my first year as a proud new assistant principal at Century High School. This assignment has been challenging but highly rewarding, and it has been incredibly humbling in many ways. As an educator with a fair number of years in the same building and multiple roles in various departments such as instructional coach, Dual Language, AVID, and ELD coordinator, I always felt comfortable tackling most challenges and providing solid answers to people’s questions. As a new high school administrator in a new building, I was unfamiliar with the staff and the community and some of their operations, systems, and procedures, to name a few. Suddenly, I did not feel as sure of myself as before. I found myself asking a lot of questions to a lot of different people around the building. In a way, this experience reminded me of many of our students; some are new to the building, some are new to the district and our community, and some are even new to the country. As the months went by, I began picking up the pace and remembering that even though I was new to many things, I was not a stranger to teaching.?

Being an administrator in some ways is similar to being a classroom teacher. As a teacher, you must know, value, and empower your students to support their journey to creating their best selves. As an administrator, you get to do it with students and the wonderful educators in your building. As it is now, as we begin thinking about wrapping up the school year, I feel a lot more confident in my new role. That said, this could not have happened without the support of our fantastic staff at Century High School, especially our administrative team. Each team member has been instrumental in helping me grow as an educator in an administrative role, but more than anything, they have welcomed me and made me feel part of the team.?

Thank you to my great colleagues, coaches, and friends who have supported me in this journey.

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