#53 Aurora Academy | Amy Tracy

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection Podcast” you will be treated to an in-person podcast when Dallan visits the Aurora Academy. He sits down with Amy Tracy, the Principal at Aurora Academy Charter School. The episode begins with Amy sharing how a difficult year teaching at a public school in Arizona led her to the world of charter schools. Amy has worked in the education field for 25 years and almost all of them have been at charter schools. At the 2:25 mark of the episode, Dallan asks Amy about the transition from teacher to administration. Amy shares her experiences and shares some advice for others who are looking to make the leap from teacher to administrator. Divine timing plays a big part in how things work out. In this segment, they also discuss the importance and some challenges of how to keep a balance between work life, home life while making sure everyone feels supported (family and staff). Dallan wants to make sure everyone pays close attention to the statement Amy makes at the 10:30 on how to support your staff. At the 11:45 mark of the episode, Dallan and Amy discuss some challenges of being a woman in a leadership role. At the 13:38 mark of the episode, they begin to dive into what makes Aurora Academy Charter School unique. Aurora Academy just celebrated their 25th anniversary and was the first charter school in the Aurora Public School District. Amy shares what is special about Aurora Academy and Dallan discusses his front office test and if Aurora Academy passed it. At the 19:25 mark, Dallan asks Amy to share some challenges that they have overcome and how other administrators can learn from her experiences. They dive deep into the relationship between administration and board members. To conclude the episode, at the 24:51 mark, Amy shares some books that have influenced how she leads. These books are shown below in the show notes but a key highlight comes from One Life by Megan Rapinoe about assisting each other and not being in competition with each other. This is an episode you do not want to miss! Show Notes: Aurora Academy Charter School - https://www.aacademy.org/ One Life by Megan Rapinoe - https://www.amazon.com/One-Life-Megan-Rapinoe/dp/1984881167 Michelle Obama Books - https://michelleobamabooks.com/