When she was in high school, Jerry Anderson already knew she wanted to make a difference by getting her doctorate degree and becoming a teacher.
Though Anderson started out as a teacher, she has taken her goal further as principal of various high schools since 2000, for the last five years at Bloom Township High School in Chicago Heights.
But she’s not done yet. She hopes to help students even more, both at her school and beyond, after being elected recently to the board of National Association of Secondary School Principals, a group she joined when she first became a principal in 2000.
“Being a high school principal is like being the headmaster — you impact more lives,” Anderson said. “I’ve loved it.”
As a board member of the national organization, Anderson will have various professional development opportunities, including access to conferences and learning from her colleagues and relevant publications.
And she will have the chance to advocate for both teachers and students.
“I think that’s really significant and really important,” Anderson said.
She said she’s looking forward to gaining the insights of colleagues.
“I’ll work with such a dynamic group of principals,” Anderson said. “As a principal I’m still a learner and I get to learn from the best.”
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Anderson said she received the full support of colleagues at Bloom but was still pleasantly surprised she was elected.
“I am so excited,” said Anderson. “It’s a really big honor. I feel very fortunate to be one of the few chosen ones.”
The NASSP summed up why Anderson was elected by saying “Dr. Anderson is committed to making a positive impact on students’ lives, keeping them at the center of decision-making, and creating an environment where they can thrive. She is an advocate for equity and restorative practices in education.”
Last year Anderson was facilitator of the organization’s School Leaders of Color Network.
“I met with principals from all over the U.S. and we talked about their experiences in being school leaders of color and how do we support, how do we thrive,” she said.
Before she was hired at Bloom Township, Anderson was principal of Homewood-Flossmoor High School, among other schools. She started her principal career at the American School of Asuncion in Paraguay.
Anderson said she learned to be flexible because her husband was in the military, as was her dad, which required her family to move when either would change their location.
One way Anderson said she knows she’s making an impact is from the students who tell her so in person, through letters and social media.
“That is one of the most meaningful things,” Anderson said.
One former student is now a social studies teacher.
“She told me, ‘I just wanted you to know I became a social studies teacher because of you,’” Anderson said.
Another former student who hadn’t been going to class told Anderson “You knew I didn’t do the right thing but you didn’t give up on me, you gave me an option, you could have taken that away from me.’
“Sometimes kids just need that encouragement, someone who can understand that experience and give them something to hold on to so they can move forward,” explained Anderson.
Jaliya Johnson, a senior at Bloom, said Anderson was friendly and easy to talk to when she first met her in the hallway. That has also meant listening to Johnson and her fellow students in club meetings and taking their ideas to other teachers. Anderson also attends reading clubs, encourages students to read more and organizes scavenger hunts and other fun activities around the books, Johnson said.
“Just the one on one, trying to get to know students, getting their ideas, trying to connect with the students, trying to better the students in general,” said Johnson, who plans to go on to university and become a registered nurse. “She’s a really good person and principal and I’m able to talk to her about things inside and outside school.
“She’s made my past three years of high school pretty good,” Johnson said.
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.