Crossroads Public School in Devlin has introduced their fifth student candidate for the Principal for a Block program, which allows students the chance to test drive being a principal and feel what it’s like to sit in the big chair.
“I think it’s a good experience, because you’re allowing younger students to see if they would want to pursue this job in the future,” Erika Anderson, a Grade 8 student at Crossroads and the program’s latest participant, said. “I feel like I’m leaning towards becoming a principal.”
Jeff Wiersema—known to his students as Mr. Wiersema—is Erika’s teacher. He also appreciates the opportunities the program has created for students at Crossroads.
“I really enjoy it, because to get this position, students had to write a letter to the principal,” Wiersema said. “I’ve talked to her dad about this and stuff, and she’s really become one of the leaders in the class. We had a pretty strong group of leaders last year, and we always wondered, ‘Who is going to be the one to step up this year into the leadership role?’ You’ve seen Erica do that.”
“You could tell that Erika wanted the position because she put in some serious effort. They’ve all been really positive so far. Every student really enjoys the behind-the-curtain view of what principals see in a day,” Wiersema said.
Part of that peek behind the curtain for Anderson is seeing the more human aspects of her teachers, like their humour.
“I like how they’re not always serious,” Anderson said. “Almost all the teachers I’ve interacted with have asked me for a day off. I tell them, ‘Well, do you want to get paid?’”
