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Association of Washington School Principals
Washington Principal | Volume 2– 2021-22
From the AWSP Board President
In-person Learning is Back – Take Advantage of It!
Brent Osborn
Principal, Lakeside High, Nine Mile Falls SD
As your AWSP board president, I had the pleasure to meet with school leadership colleagues from around the country and attend some great professional development opportunities this summer.
In late June, our association hosted our first in-person AWSP/WASA Summer Conference since COVID. It was so good! As I reflect on my learning, I have Shelley Moore energy bouncing in my brain. Between her keynote presentation and her session for secondary leaders, I am fired up to continue our inclusionary work at Lakeside High School. If you want to learn more about improving your school’s inclusionary practices, check out AWSP’s partnership with Shelley.
Additionally, I was fortunate to attend a session hosted by the Cheney School District on the role of school leadership in PLC work. They gave real-life examples of how leading PLCs play out and how they built effective teams. I love learning from my colleagues in the field. Hope to see you all there next June!
Here’s my professional advice to you: invest in your growth. The more I learn, the more I am exposed to new ideas, and the more my tank is filled up.
In July, I attended the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Education Summit and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) National Conference. The most important aspect of attending these events has been expanding my professional learning network. I forced myself to meet new people, ask questions, and probe other people’s strategies and solutions to today’s principal leadership challenges.
I spent a day working with the school leader collaborative — a coalition of 10 states working together for the betterment of principals — where we shared great ideas across associations to help us all tackle the increasing challenges of the principalship. How can we reduce the pressures on principals, increase protections, and create pathways to our profession?
One great new connection I made was meeting Raquel Martinez, an amazing principal in the Pasco School District who also sits on the Board of NASSP. She is working hard at the national level and representing all of us and the voice of Washington principals. Thank you, Raquel, for being such a great advocate!
Here’s my professional advice to you: invest in your growth. The more I learn, the more I am exposed to new ideas, and the more my tank is filled up. Our state association offers a wealth of opportunities to expand your knowledge, create new principal learning networks, and find your passion for doing the work we are all called to do.
If you want to know more about what is available, please reach out to AWSP or reach out to me directly. I am always looking to add to my professional learning network.◼
Brent Osborn, AWSP Board President, Principal, Lakeside High School, Nine Mile Falls School District