Hi y’all! I’m Taryn Clasby, a senior at Pearce High School.
On Oct. 2, I had the opportunity to shadow RISD Superintendent Tabitha Branum, as part of my affiliation with TAFE, the Texas Association of Future Educators.
This experience opened my eyes to all of the work that goes into leading a school district. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. we were constantly doing things. I sat in on two very important meetings in the morning, one with the president of the RISD Council of PTAs and another with Texas Rep. Morgan Meyer, whose House District 108 includes part of RISD.
Then we filmed videos for the district to inform parents and stakeholders about some new and upcoming RISD events. We then went to Prairie Creek Elementary to sit down and talk with the principal and visit a couple of classrooms. The kids were ecstatic to see a new face in the classroom and were very interested in what a superintendent does.
Something that I found to be unique about Superintendent Branum is that she not only cares for the school district, but she also cares for the people running the school district.
Regardless of whether we were talking about a serious matter, filming a video, or sitting in a meeting, she always made sure to check in with each person, ask about their weekend, or inquire as to what she could do to make their lives easier. Her interactions aren’t transactional, but rather relational. Her dedication to the success of all students and staff in RISD is evident through her actions and interactions.
I think the biggest thing I learned from my day in the RISD Administration Building was that it takes a village to run a school district. I met a lot of people who work every single day to make RISD the best it can be.
To echo what RISD General Counsel Leticia McGowan told me while shadowing Mrs. Branum: “Running a school district is like running a city.”
RISD has its own transportation department, child nutrition department, multiple levels of admin, a new employee daycare, 41 elementary schools, eight junior high schools, and four high schools.There are so many different parts that go into making RISD one team.
Thank you, Superintendent Branum, for allowing me to shadow you for a day. We are all so blessed to have such amazing people taking care of us every day, and I am proud to be a student in such a great district.
