Dinner with a Principal Recap

Sarah Wilde

McKay Student Ambassador

Special Education (Severe/Profound Disabilities Emphasis)

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On Thursday, February 29th, the McKay School held an event called Dinner with a Principal. Principals from BYU's five partner districts (Jordan, Wasatch, Alpine, Provo, and Nebo) came to the Skyroom of the Wilkinson Center to have dinner with our teacher candidates, and we were welcome to ask any questions we had about working at their schools or in their districts, the hiring process, or anything else! Some of the student ambassadors went to the event, and here are summaries of our experiences.

Mikaela Campbell, Early Childhood Education: The dinner with a principal was very informative. Everyone sat at a table with 2-3 principals and a small group of students to chat with. I was able to learn much from both the principals and the students there. I won’t start practicum until next semester, so it was nice to talk with students who were in practicum, student teaching, had an internship, or recently graduated and get their perspective. Some questions that were asked were “how can I tell the principal of the school I’ve student taught at that I want to stay?” or “what can I expect from an interview and how can I stand out?” The principals were very open about any question, ranging from the interview process to teaching itself. They talked about their own educational journey and shared great insights that were very helpful. The event taught me a lot about how I’d like to prepare in the next couple of years and some things to expect from the hiring process and becoming a teacher. I highly recommend attending dinner with a principal.

Rachel O'Malley, Elementary Education: Going to the Dinner with a Principal event was an exciting and insightful experience. I was able to talk with a variety of principals about their favorite parts of working in a school, what they look for when hiring, how to be a good colleague, and how to build a relationship with your principal. The food was delicious, and it was really fun being up in the Sky Room. I feel a lot more confident about building a resume and going into interviews after attending the event. I also feel more prepared to look like a great teacher candidate and to build lasting relationships once I have a teaching job. I feel a lot more excited about teaching and less overwhelmed with figuring out life after BYU.

Sarah Wilde, Special Education: I really enjoyed Dinner with a Principal! It was nice to meet so many principals with different teaching experiences in different districts. They all had different ideas and perspectives to offer, and it was encouraging to see how much good is happening in the schools of the Utah Valley! I got to meet lots of other students as well. There were students from lots of education programs found across campus, grad students, and current student teachers. I loved meeting people from so many places in their careers. I met students from places all over the US and some from other countries! It was awesome to see how diverse the students at BYU are, and it made me hopeful for the future to see so many different people going into the field of education.

Dinner with a Principal was a great night for networking, discussing the hiring process, learning about the benefits of working in different school districts, and eating a great meal! Keep an eye out next year when we do it again!

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