Alumni Success Story – Meredith Broxmeyer
Alumni Success Story – Meredith Broxmeyer, Assistant Principal, PS 191Q
Assistant Principal Meredith Broxmeyer, PS 191Q
We caught up with Meredith Broxmeyer, the new Assistant Principal at PS 191Q and a graduate of the Administration Program run in partnership with CITE and The College of St. Rose. Meredith graduated from Cohort 9 in our administration program. Like other admin program grads, she was working and taking classes with us at the same time. Below, she talks about how she handled the workload, and what she found to be the most important lessons as she started preparing for her new role.
Meredith is a great alumni success story! We’re proud and inspired by all of the graduates who share a similar story to Meredith, taking classes with the College of St. Rose (CSR) in partnership with CITE. Congrats to all of you. If you have a new position, let us know and we’ll happily share your story!
Here are ten (10) questions with Meredith:
1. What is your name and what is your new job?
My name is Meredith Broxmeyer and I am the Assistant Principal of PS 191Q – The Mayflower School.
2. When did you start and complete the College of St. Rose and CITE program? Which program was it?
I started the CITE Program in 2004 and I completed in in 2005. I was part of the Oceanside Cohort #9.
3. Were you working while taking the CSR/CITE classes? In what position?
I was working as a Math Coach at PS 191Q – The Mayflower school while I was taking the classes. I also completed my internship at PS 191.
4. Why did you choose the program?
I had just left the classroom to be a Math Coach after teaching for 5 years in 3rd Grade, 1st Grade and PreK. My father is a retired school administrator and he had suggested that I get a degree in administration. My principal also encouraged me to get the additional degree and I needed to take continuing education credits for a salary increase. I wasn’t sure at the time whether or not I would use it, but decided that it would be good to have options in the future.
5. What was your overall experience of the instructors? Did any stand out? What made them stand out?
I learned a lot from the instructors. I especially liked the real world experiences that they were able to share with us. Some of the ones that stand out to me were Terry O’Connor and Sandy Schneider. They were both current principals and they were able to offer valid suggestions and assign projects and activities that were worthwhile. They also shared many stories of things that they went through on a daily basis and were able to show us how to handle day-to-day administrative responsibilities.
PS 191Q
6 What was the most challenging part of the program?
The most challenging part of the program was finding the time to get everything done while working. I was in class all day on Saturdays and did my work all day on Sundays. The weekdays were spent teaching and completing my Internship.
7. How did the program prepare you for your current job?
Completing the 600 hour Internship in the school where I am now Assistant Principal gave me the hands-on training necessary for a beginning administrator. After the Internship was over, I remained an active member of the school and continued to learn all about the different hats that administrators wear. Since my school didn’t have any other administrators, my principal had been delegating several administrative duties to me over the years.
8. What advice would you give someone starting out?
Time management and organization are necessary skills for a school administrator. There are so many things that always need to be done and deadlines that have to be met. You need to be able to prioritize and balance a busy schedule and be flexible enough to change at the last minute. You never know what challenges each day will bring.
9 Have you recommended this program to people? Why? And what did you tell them?
I have recommended this program to a teacher in my school. I had suggested that it was a fast way to get an additional degree and that he would learn a lot and be prepared to become a school administrator. I love the fact that the program can be done in less than 2 years and that I felt prepared for the job.
10. Anything else you’d like to add?
People have asked me why I waited so long to actually pursue a career in administration since I got my degree back in 2005. I wanted to start a family first. My daughter is 8 years old and my son is 5. Now that my children are both in elementary school, childcare is easier and I can spend more time focusing on my career. Without the support of my husband, my parents, my children, and my friends I would never have been able to accept this job.
I was not looking to leave the school that I have been in for the last 14 years. PS 191 is a wonderful school with great teachers, parents and students. I am so happy that my dream of becoming assistant principal in this school has finally come true –we have never had an assistant principal before this year. This was also the only administrative job that I ever applied for!
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Congratulations again to Meredith! She is a great Alumni Success Story and we’re happy to share her story with the CSR/CITE community. If you have a new job, let us know, and we’ll share your story, too!
For information on our Administration Program, in partnership with CITE and the College of St. Rose, sign up below for our email list, or visit the program’s website. You can also follow us on Twitter and LIKE us on Facebook to stay up-to-date with CSR/CITE news.
