Servant Leadership My Journey from Teacher to Superintendent: 7 Principles to Guide Women Educators on Their Path to Success

By Dr. Danna Diaz

As a single teenage mother, Danna Diaz wasn’t thinking about her career. While she dreamed of becoming a teacher, she’d taken that option off the table when she dropped out of high school to have a child. Or so she thought.

In Servant Leadership: My Journey from Teacher to Superintendent, Dr. Danna Diaz shares her personal and professional journey of challenge, courage and success, and the seven principles she used to make her way out of early poverty into a position of leadership in education. With inspiration and action steps for readers, Dr. Diaz provides motivation for other women educators to pursue their dreams and take their place at the head of the table.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Aug 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9781665746410

Dr. Danna Diaz

Dr. Danna Diaz has served the interest of public schools spanning three decades in various positions in urban, suburban, and rural school systems. She holds a BS in elementary education and teaching from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and an MS in pre-school education and bilingual-ESL learning from the University of Houston–Clear Lake. Dr. Diaz earned her PhD in educational administration from The University of Texas at Austin, where she was a member of Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. A proud Boricua, Dr. Diaz was the first Latina to hold the position of superintendent in the districts she served.

Book preview

ENDORSEMENTS

A masterful take on how a trauma-informed human being made it from teacher to superintendent. Humbling personal story.

Dr. Lora De La Cruz, deputy superintendent, Boulder Valley School District

Insightful and easy to read, the book reminded me of my own personal story and my professional career from teacher to superintendent.

Dr. Martha Salazar Zamora, superintendent, Tomball Independent School District

Danna uses her own life story to show us how we can achieve our dreams no matter what obstacles come our way. Inspiring.

Eva Bonilla, community leader, Fort Worth, Texas

"I have known Danna for many years, and I have seen her go through her personal and professional trajectories in life. Danna exemplifies the impact of how important it is to own your personal experiences and serve as an exceptional leader. Life was not easy for her, and she made it from the projects in Harlem and high school dropout to obtaining a doctorate and serving as superintendent of schools. I am proud to call her hermana."

Richard Carranza, former chancellor of

New York City Schools

All will learn and be inspired from this powerful sharing of life obstacles and challenges but staying resilient. Dr. Diaz is a shining example of how education can be your passport to success.

Dr. Michael Haggen, chief academic officer, Scholastic

Servant Leadership

MY JOURNEY

FROM TEACHER TO

SUPERINTENDENT

7 Principles to Guide Women Educators

on Their Path to Success

DR. DANNA DIAZ

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Copyright © 2023 Dr. Danna Diaz.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced

by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including

photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval

system without the written permission of the author except in the

case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing books may be ordered

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Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

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of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-4640-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-4641-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023912095

Archway Publishing rev. date: 8/30/2023

I would like to dedicate this

book to my mother, Ines Montalvo, and daughter, Jasmine Ines McCormick. They have been my rock throughout my journey, and I would not be writing this book if it were not for them.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1   Building My Resilience: My Early Years

Chapter 2   Developing My Perseverance

Chapter 3   Keeping My Word-Integrity

Chapter 4   Organizational Skills

Chapter 5   What My Mother Taught Me about Hard Work

Chapter 6   Leadership

Chapter 7   Being the First

Conclusion

Endnotes

Preface

Dear Reader:

Thank you for picking up my book for a little inspiration. I decided to write this book because I was told that I would not be a good teacher when I was in college. And when I was a teacher, no one ever told me that I would be a good administrator. I decided to pursue my administrator certificate because I wanted to make a difference. When I was an administrator, I did not know that I would have a doctorate and become a superintendent. And even though it took me fifteen years to get my first job as a superintendent, I did not give up.

I do not want you to give up.

Because I went through so many experiences that compelled me to move forward and upward, I knew I wanted to make a difference in the lives of students and families. I know I want to make a difference for you!

If you are a college student and thinking of becoming a teacher, this book is for you.

If you are a teacher and thinking about being an administrator, this