Notes
Allen shared that he has been married 29 years. He has two adult children, Chelsea (a nursing doctoral candidate) and Colby (vet for six years) and two grandchildren, Liam (6) and Mason (2). Allen raised his kids before he attended college, although he was involved with schools. In 2008 he went back to school and became a SPED teacher who was encouraged to become an administrator. He loves to learn. He began working with Topeka Puboic Schools as a SPED contract sub, then completed his Masters at ESU. After teaching SPED, he went to third grade, then fifth, then back to SPED. He became assistant principal at State Street in 2024 and has been named the principal for next year.
I shared what coaching is and what it isn’t, and we talked about what our work could look like.
He wants to coach his teachers into new learning and practices, and has had Cognitive Coaching training. He said his aim was changing mindsets and inviting his teachers to grow in their own practice.