Full Name: Demitree Tatum

Campus: Woodridge Elementary

How many years have you served as a DeSoto ISD principal? I am amid my first year.

What are you enjoying most as a leader of a DeSoto ISD campus?

I love leading and instructing "the littles"!!

A principal wears many hats, what is the primary hat that you wear as you lead your campus community and why?

Instructional Leader.

As the instructional leader of Woodridge Elementary, my job is to support teachers in their practice by facilitating professional development opportunities and to provide coaching and mentoring to ensure that best practices are used in their classroom and throughout the campus.

What does it mean to fly and how does this definition guide your daily practice?

To fly means to rise or increase dramatically (as in position, value, or price) or to rise very quickly to a high level. As a leader, we have to be prepared to rise to any occasion at all times.

Please share an impactful moment as a school administrator and how it fuels your daily actions.

As a school administrator, my impactful moment is when I greet my students and parents out on the front porch every morning. It jumpstarts my day and reminds me of my purpose and "my why" in this thing called LIFE.

As a principal, how does leadership impact student experience and achievement and in what way do you maintain a pulse on your campus to ensure student success?

Leadership is second only to teaching among in-school influences on student success.

As a leader, one of the ways I maintain a pulse on my campus to ensure student success is by ensuring all stakeholders understand the state curriculum, how to analyze data, how to use the data to drive classroom instruction and provide opportunities for our teachers to model best practices and provide coaching and feedback.

Please share a word of advice for aspiring campus leaders.

Distributive Leadership will save your life as a campus leader.

Email: demitree.tatum@desotoisd.org