New Superintendent Encourages Creativity, Collaboration in Classroom

Teresa Williams may be the new superintendent of the Moorpark Unified School District, but when it comes to teaching in Moorpark, she’s definitely a veteran.

She began teaching first graders at Flory School in 1975. For her, teaching young students had been a lifelong pursuit.

“My dream as a child was to be a teacher,” she said. “I had a sister that taught kindergarten, and I remember as a little girl that I used to play school.”

Williams took special pleasure in watching her students learn the basics of language.

“When I taught first graders, my biggest enjoyment was seeing them read,” she said. “Especially the English language learners, I felt like I was opening a door for them.”

During her long career with the district, Williams has also been involved in various administrative capacities—assistant principal at Flory, assistant principal at Chaparral, then back to Flory as principal.

When Walnut Canyon opened up, she became principal and was instrumental in helping the district develop its first magnet school—a K-5 focus on the arts and technology.

Williams also served as the district’s director of elementary education and the assistant superintendent of personnel services. Finally, this summer, after 36 years of teaching and administration, she assumed the job of district superintendent.

While Williams has moved out of the classroom, her passion for teaching remains strong.

“I love to see people learn,” she said. “I have a passion for helping people enhance their talents, knowledge and abilities.”

Comparing her classroom experience in the 1970s to current teaching methods, she notes how modern teachers are under more pressure, particularly when it comes to testing standards.

“There’s more accountability from the federal and state levels as well as outside pressure from the media and the public,” she said. “There’s just a lot of pressure in general on educators.”

For Williams, she believes this pressure has had an effect on the instructional practice that students currently receive in the classroom.

“I used more of a variety of methods when I was teaching: more hands on instruction, project based learning and small group activities,” she said. “In general, now it’s more test-oriented. I often remind teachers to incorporate activities that are fun and engaging as those are the lessons that will enhance their students’ knowledge.”

As far as current funding levels for the district, the news is not all bad. Last spring the district laid off 26 teachers, but because student enrollment remained steady this year, coupled with some recent retirements, the district was able to hire them back.

She remains optimistic about current school funding but knows that things could change quickly.

“I think right now with the flat funding we’re given, we’re maintaining ourselves,” she said, “but we’re also aware that we may have to make more cuts, which we have to plan for. It could change from day to day.”

Based on her classroom experience, Williams has learned to develop her own style of leadership.

“I think I have more of a collaborative style of leadership,” she explained. “I tend to seek input from people and I try to use the skills of individuals to further district goals.”

Looking toward the future of education, she sees many changes coming, both in technology and teaching methods.

“I see more differentiation of instruction, geared more toward individual needs and interests,” said Williams. “Examples of this are our elementary magnet schools. I also see us doing more with online learning.”

She would like to see more creativity in the district’s classrooms and hopes to provide opportunities for more collaboration among instructors.

“I highly encourage teachers and administrators to participate in any staff development opportunities that come their way,” she said. “When I walk into classrooms, I really would like to see teachers adapting to meet the different levels of their students and I would like to see all students actively engaged in the lessons.”

Many of these opportunities will involve new technologies in the classroom.

“Technology has loosened traditional learning boundaries or taken them away and school districts are going to have to be prepared for alternative modes of instruction,” said Williams.

Williams still gets a thrill out of watching students learn. It all goes back to her passion for learning and language. She loves to see students become involved in learning activities.

“I think it’s exciting when I can see students actively engaged in learning,” she said, “their teachers passionately interacting with their students throughout the learning process, and principals excited about taking their schools to a higher academic level.”