Melanie Paliotti

National University EDA 613

November 2019

My path as an educational leader has taken several turns over the last five years and I
am looking forward to what the journey over the next five to ten years might have in store for
me! I have been in education for 23 years and I have loved every position I have ever had.
Each opportunity helped me to learn and grow and I would not be the person I am today without
the wide variety of experiences I have been fortunate to have over the years. I was a high
school teacher, middle school teacher, and Kindergarten teacher. I taught German in
Kindergarten through 12th grade and served in various leadership positions such as House
Leader, Subject Area Leader, and IB Coordinator. I worked with the International Baccalaureate
Organization for the last 17 years and served as a Moderator, Workshop Leader, and served on
Site Evaluation Teams. I teach educators, teachers, and administrators about IB and I teach
the courses that lead to the IB Certificate in Teaching and Learning. I was able to teach the
entire staff of three schools in the Vista Unified School District and was hired at one of the
schools as the IB Primary Years Coordinator and Arts Magnet Coordinator of Vista Academy of
Visual and Performing Arts. I lead the school through the four year process to become an
authorized IB World School. I was hired to be their Assistant Principal until, due to budget
constraints, I was moved to a larger school, Empresa Elementary, to be their AP because they
had 850 students (over the required number of 750.) Earlier this month, the superintendent
came and asked me to become the Interim Principal of Bobier Elementary School - effective
immediately. I am thrilled for the opportunity but wish that I had joined the school site under
different circumstances.
Although I have moved into a variety of positions over the last 2-3 years, I am someone
who prefers to “bloom where I am planted” and become an active member of the community. I
like to build and maintain relationships - and that takes time and effort. I am someone who is
“all in” and who sports the school colors, gear and spirit wear! I am a servant leader and I try to
take care of as much as possible so that the teachers and students can focus on the magic that
takes place everyday in their classrooms as students grow and learn together. The school that I
have now joined just a few weeks ago is in need of consistent leadership. They have had six
(or more) different principals (including those who were there as interim principals while the
principal was on leave.) The students, families and staff need someone to be fully invested in
their future, someone who will stay to see the plans and ideas through to fruition, someone who
recognizes their hard work, efforts, and achievements, and someone who is not just a “sub”
passing through until the next principal comes along.
If you had asked me prior to November 8, 2019, my answer and my vision of the next
five to ten years would have been very different. My original plan was to eventually become the
principal of Casita Center. Casita is one of the district’s IB PYP schools and a school I continue
to be involved with as I continue to teach new staff members the coursework through CSUSM. I
have worked closely with the current principal and staff for over the last five years and she
planned on me replacing her when she retires. It is a school I love and believe in -my own two
children attended the school. I am passionate and knowledgeable about IB and I believe it is
the best way to teach and learn. Ever since I became involved with IB in 2002, I imagined that I
would always continue to be part of it. It is the type of education I wanted for my own children,
for my students, and for myself as an educator and life-long learner. In the summer of 2018, I
was moved to a school that was not IB and I had to adjust to a different culture and school
climate. I have again been moved to a new site that is not IB but I know that I can use my
knowledge of best practices to help the school move forward.
Bobier is a school with many high needs. The school is over 90% Hispanic or Latino,
over 95% are considered low socioeconomically disadvantaged, over 60% English Language
Learners, almost 10% special educational needs (including the district’s elementary Deaf and
Hard of Hearing program.) The school is one with the highest need and the lowest scores in the
district. The students also have the biggest smiles as I give them a high-5 each morning as
they walk in the front gate. The teachers are passionate and dedicated. The school deserves
more. I know that I have much more to learn and that I will always be a learner my whole life
long. I also know my strengths and skills. According to the district’s strengthsfinder, my top
strengths (​Achiever, Includer, Responsibility, Woo, Strategic) could be well utilized at this site. I
am dedicated and passionate and I am willing to roll up my sleeves and work with the whole
school community to continue to improve the school and program. I know it has only been a
few weeks, but I see myself, if given the opportunity, staying at this school for the next five or
more years.
Within the next decade, I would also like to continue to further my education and earn my
doctorate in education. Many of the school leaders in Vista have been given the opportunity to
participate in NISL - National Institute for School Leadership - two years with a cohort of
educational leaders to further develop the ​skills, research and tools they need to design and
lead high-performance education systems.​ The participants can apply the credits toward their
doctorate degree programs. I would love to be part of this and planned on it, but unfortunately
this benefit may no longer be provided due to budget constraints. I would still like to continue
my study of educational leadership in the future.