Dr. Georgeanne Warnock | Superintendent, Terrell ISD

Teachers have always held a special place in my heart. Even as a little girl, the thought of becoming a teacher appealed to me, and I could not wait to get my own classroom. When the time came to do my internship as a student teacher, fate smiled on me, and I was assigned to teach English in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD.

Student teaching was so much fun that I could not get to school fast enough each day, and the fall semester seemed to fly by. One day, our principal, Dr. Sheila Maher, called me into her office and told me she had an opening for an English teacher that would begin in January. After interviewing, she offered me the position.

I was thrilled to be a part of her staff and could not believe I was going to get paid for teaching because I loved it so much. I could not imagine ever leaving the classroom and certainly never thought about becoming an administrator.

As my principal, Dr. Maher really poured into me to develop leadership skills and instructional knowledge. Over time, I began to feel a desire for a broader impact beyond the classroom walls.

Not sure what path to take, I considered law school, educational policy or urban literacy. However, Dr. Maher strongly suggested I consider educational administration.

Based on her advice, I got certified and became an assistant principal. As much as I thought I did not want to be an administrator, I realized quickly that administrative work also provided teaching opportunities, but the classroom looked different. Rather than teaching content, I was getting to teach life lessons to students in one-on-one meetings with them.

As I grew in leadership within CFBISD, whether as a principal or central office administrator, I tried to think and lead like a good teacher and tried to be a good student. There was so much to learn.

Dr. Bobby Burns served Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD as superintendent for 10 years. I had the opportunity to work under him as a principal and then as the associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction. He was a wonderful teacher and encourager. Regardless of the political environment or the crisis of the day, he was a stalwart and steady leader.

Working for him was a master class on how to treat people and how to create a strong team approach. Culture mattered to Dr. Burns. Hanging above the door in his conference room was a sign that said, “Culture eats strategy every day.” It was Dr. Burns’ belief that a positive culture was essential. If people know you care about them, they will do their best.

If the culture isn’t one where we are all moving in the same direction with the same hopes and outcomes and beliefs for the future of our students, then no strategy will work. The culture of the organization is everything. That is a lesson I learned from Dr. Burns, and I hope I live that lesson each day.

The very first superintendent interview I had with the Terrell ISD Board was amazing because of their “All REALLY does mean all” vision. It was immediately clear that they all serve with the single-minded purpose of doing what is best for this community’s children.

My interview quickly turned into more of a conversation where we shared our hopes and vision for TISD. The more we talked, the more I recognized Terrell was going to be a great fit for my family and me, and I hoped the Board felt the same way. The culture felt right. That was exactly the moment I fell in love with Terrell ISD.

I started here in January of 2020; in March, the pandemic arrived, and our normal educational processes no longer worked. Two years later, we are still dealing with many challenges related to COVID-19.

Staffing shortages, the great resignation, substitute shortages and supply chain delays continue to impact our normal operations. We have even had to close our district for a few days due to these challenges.

Recently, after leaving one of our campuses, I got into my car, paused, and reflected on the goodness of our teachers and staff. Their continued focus on what is important for students drives them to show up day after day even though they are experiencing personal hardships too. It is a joy to work with such caring educators.

So many amazing things happen every day in our classroom. I see our teachers working with our students building background knowledge, reinforcing new language acquisition, building vocabulary and teaching in ways that we know work. Further, they have been covering classes during their conference times, sometimes even supervising two classes together to help our students move forward. Their level of self-sacrifice is humbling.

I’m excited about the progress we’ve made and the future of Terrell ISD. Over the past two years, our focus on early literacy has resulted in incredible growth in kindergarten readiness. More and more of our youngest learners are coming to us ready to learn and grow. Our opportunities for college, career and military readiness continue to expand, and our students have more opportunities than ever.

One of the things of which I am most proud is the shared leadership environment we are creating. I believe that trust is created with open communication and truth over time, and I hope that I am building that trust with our staff and families. To move our district forward, we must have open communication where all our stakeholders feel safe to share when something is not working like we hoped or they have an idea for improvement. That open communication can only exist when there is a high degree of trust in the organization, and I am working to build that with our team and families every day.

In closing, there is great certainty in our family’s decision to be in Terrell ISD. We wanted to be a part of a community where we could make a home, grow personally and professionally, and contribute to making the community even better than it already is. The Terrell ISD community is that place, and we feel fully embraced.

Doing What is Best for our Students — It’s our Superpower

Dr. Warnock serves the Terrell ISD community as its superintendent of schools. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from Trinity University, a Master of Education in Secondary Education from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education in Education Administration from the University of North Texas, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas. Dr. Warnock may be reached at georgeanne.warnock@terrellisd.org.