Cahn Fellows at Teacher’s College Hone Principals’ Skills
Transcribed By Yehuda Bayme
(L-R) Chuck Cahn, Founder, Martha Polin, Cahn Fellow 2014,
Lily Woo, Incoming Program Director
Chuck Cahn, Founder of the Cahn Fellows Program at Teachers College, welcomed his remarkable cohort of principals saying, “You are now the 12th cohort of principals. You will start the program with a trip to Gettysburg, which marked one of the most pivotal points in the history of our country and is a cornerstone of our program. You will find that it will be the pivotal point for you. Then you will spend a week and a half here at Teacher’s College with our faculty. There will be a lot of conversations that will get you to reflect on your leadership style, why you do what you do, probably things you haven’t thought about before and some ways we could do things differently. You will find that you have two faculties, the TC faculty and the faculty at these two tables, and you will find the opportunity to talk freely about whatever is on your mind. You will work with a mentor. You will work on a project for the course of the year. Finally you will provide a presentation in June, for the work you have done throughout the year.” Cahn went on to say, “One of our pioneers is here, Lily Woo, who has been a principal for twenty-four years. Lily was in our first cohort in the year 2003-2004.
One of the former participants underscored her appreciation at having a group of smart colleagues. It’s the relationships and the actions, the reflections and the value of sharing your learning with others that was at the heart of my success as a principal and at the heart of this program, she reflected.
Professor Nancy Streim, Associate VP at Teachers College spoke to the cohort: “I know you are embarking on an incredible journey. The Cahn Fellows Program is a wonderful opportunity and I know that you are going to learn and grow and prosper, make new friends, have life-long partners that grow out of this experience. I can feel the excitement and tension in the air as this is just the beginning.
“I could never be a principal because the job you do is the hardest in education. You are the group of people that do it with such passion. You are the future of our educational system.”#
