Stefanie Shefler, M.Ed. EDL ‘12, Named Lyon School Newest Principal
While NLU’s National College of Education houses a long list of accomplished alumni in the education sector, we’d like to spotlight Stefanie Shefler, M.Ed., ‘12 Educational Leadership, who has just been named Lyon School in Glenview SD34’s newest principal. A 2009 University of Illinois graduate who then pursued her NLU degree a few years later, Stefanie has accomplished quite a lot in a short time. We sat down with Stefanie to gather her perspective and hear more about her educational career and how NCE prepared her for this next step.
Tell us about yourself and your career path. What inspired you to become an educator? A school leader?
Growing up, I knew I wanted to be involved in the field of education in some capacity. Working as a camp counselor and volunteering with those with diverse learning and social- emotional needs was a passion of mine. In college, I volunteered at an Early Childhood Center where I was amazed by the students' emotional and academic development, and was inspired by the growth students could make with the dedication of supportive teachers. The experience solidified that becoming a teacher was the journey I wanted to pursue.
My career began in Evanston District 65 as a special education and first-grade teacher. I had the opportunity to observe and work alongside building administration, and I realized the large-scale impact school leaders could make on students, staff, and families. That's what inspired me to begin my Educational Leadership Masters program through NLU. My teaching career took me to Glenview School District 34, where I served as a primary classroom teacher, intermediate instructional coach, and summer school principal. From there, I spent two years as an assistant principal in Palatine School District 15. Following that opportunity, I returned to Glenview School District 34 as an assistant principal for the past three years. Next year, I am incredibly excited and honored to join the incredible Lyon School community as principal.
How did NCE’s Educational Leadership program shape your professional perspectives and practice?
NLU's Ed Leadership program focuses on the most important fundamentals of school leadership. I learned about student and data-centered decision-making, creating a safe and welcoming school culture, relationship building, and the value of social-emotional teaching and learning. NLU's program also emphasized the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion as core values of impactful decision making.
The internship process facilitated invaluable hands-on experience in collaboration with district administrators. In addition, the cohort model provides a safe space to dialogue around important topics in education and learn from peers.
What do you love most about your job?
The opportunities to interact, connect, and engage with students, staff, and families in a meaningful way, are the best parts of any day on the job! I love seeing students walk into our building with smiles on their faces at the start of the day, and you know they are excited to be at school. Then, there are small moments where you see a child grasp a new concept or succeed in developing a challenging skill, and it's a reminder of the importance of the work we do each day.
You are a principal quite early in your career—what skills and experiences have contributed to your success?
I have been incredibly fortunate to have unbelievable mentors. I've learned from the examples they set--particularly when it comes to collaboration, supporting teachers in their growth, emphasizing relationships, and keeping students at the center of decision-making. My mentors helped me develop core values that guide my work as a school administrator.
When I first started teaching, I sought a wide variety of teaching experiences and leadership opportunities, which helped me learn about different perspectives in instructional best practices, student services, and administration. As a leader, I lean on the expertise of various staff members in their respective realms, consider their views, engage them as thought partners, and bring all stakeholders together to work towards our shared goal of delivering positive outcomes for students.
What’s a piece of advice you would offer to aspiring teachers and education leaders?
Allow yourself to be open to continuous growth, learning, and self-reflection as you aspire to become a teacher or leader. Striving for ongoing improvement will undoubtedly cause a positive ripple effect to our students and the educational experience we provide for them.
