Former sixth grade science and language arts teacher Kati Boland knows how to run a classroom - her 15 years of teaching experience at Fulton Middle School demonstrated that.
But she will not be returning to a Fulton Middle School classroom for the 2015-2016 school year. Instead, her role in education will shift to administrative duties, and students at Fulton High School will be addressing her as their assistant principal.
Boland said she's confident that her involvement in several leadership roles at the middle school has prepared her for the position.
"As the years went on with some of the different initiatives that the middle school was going through, being apart of the different leadership teams that were collaborating together for some of that improvement, I started being interested in getting myself into more leadership positions," Boland said.
Boland said she started to envision herself beyond the scope of the classroom while coaching varsity girls' soccer at Fulton High School for nearly 10 years.
"Continuing to be in those leadership roles was kind of telling me that's where I saw myself at - that that was probably my future," Boland said. "I just looked to see when the opportunity was going to arise and so it did."
Boland received her degree in secondary administration in 2011 and attended class with former assistant principal and current principal Chris Mincher. She was interviewed for the position on May 20 - the last day of school - and was offered the job the following day.
Boland said although she's excited for her new role, she knows the transition from middle school teacher to high school assistant principal will bring new challenges and more responsibilities.
"There's that challenge from coming from the classroom into the administrative role," Boland said. "I've been trying to put myself in those positions to prepare myself for that, but still - it's different. I'm out of the classroom. I'm here now and in a different building."
She said she has gotten to know several teachers at the high school from other committees and collaborative teams she was previously involved in and looks forward to meeting and working with new faculty and staff. One of the perks of her job, she said, is that she taught most of the current high school students.
"A lot of the students are still familiar with me," Boland said. "It's gonna be a transition for them seeing me as the teacher, and now seeing me as an assistant principal. It's been since sixth grade since I had them - a lot of them look different, and they've grown up and look older, are older and have matured."
Boland said she wants to strengthen her ties to her former middle school students and to continue to help them succeed academically at a higher level. She is also anticipating establishing positive relationships with new students who did not attend Fulton Middle School. Boland said she's been very active in attending some of the sporting events and working some of them.
"I'm trying to keep myself fresh and "out there,'" Boland said.
Boland said she's looking forward to the opportunity to be a part of Fulton Public Schools in a different aspect and to relate to students from a new perspective, at a different level and handle new situations.
"A classroom teacher deals with a little bit of everything in that classroom, and you get to have your relationships and your rapport, but you still only have those students who come through your room," she said. "Whereas now I'm in an administrative role to where I'm going to be able to interact with all the students on a more continuous basis."
Boland said she is embracing the new challenges of her administrative role, including adjusting to a new environment.
"It's gonna be a different atmosphere in August when all of our faculty and staff are here together just really trying to identify some of those different areas that we need to focus on this year, and doing it as a team - as a team effort to tackle those and to help those students in those areas," she said.
She emphasized her appreciation for Mincher's help in transitioning to the high school.
"I'm lucky to have him here as a mentor - to be able to work with him," Boland said. "I think we'll be a good team."