Jeff

Jeff Spiegel made a positive impact on my career and my life as a leader. I met Jeff when I came to the Ferguson Florissant School District. I learned a lot from Jeff during those seven years I worked for him and they were instrumental in my career as an administrator.

I think the thing I learned most from Jeff was the ability to put people at ease and appreciate their relevance in spite of the conflict at hand. I saw him in action with this with parents as well as staff and I learned to listen, validate, and then respond. This has carried through in my career as a principal and in my work with kids and parents.

I also learned a lot from Jeff about how to run a school district. Staffing formulas, residency boundaries, budget crisis, politics. I learned a lot from Jeff about how to deal with things. I think the thing I appreciated the most from Jeff was that he was unconditional. No matter what the situation, he was supportive.

When I left I always worried about whether I really was that great of an administrator or if it was just because Jeff thought I was. No matter what, I knew he was supportive and trusted me to make the right decisions.

I learned a lot about leadership from watching him and he gave me a world of experiences that have contributed to my knowledge of district leadership. In some ways this has damaged me to other jobs because I feel like I learned from the very best.

Now I know that the wheels of district leadership go round and round. You are in for a period of time and make a difference in whatever way you can and then you are out. I was in when Jeff was at his best and I benefited from his expertise.