Snyder Sees School, Family 'Team'Lincoln Elementary School Principal Cathy Snyder sees her school as a team, and a family.
"Lincoln is very much a family atmosphere," she said during an interview Sept. 10.
Staff, teachers and administrators are very friendly, and people can sense that right away when they come in, she said. But they all understand what their job is about - teaching students.Snyder grew up in Mishawaka. When she first interviewed for the Lincoln principal position, she was asked what she knew about Warsaw. She replied, "I know basketball is big in Warsaw." By her second interview, she had done her research and learned a lot more about the city that would become her home.
Snyder's first year as principal was in 2002. Prior to that, Snyder had taught in many schools, all in Indiana. She taught at the elementary and high school levels, but never junior high. She also taught regular education and special education. She enjoyed teaching while she was a teacher, and is enjoying being a principal now that she is one.
"I'm right where I want to be," said Snyder.
She became a principal because of the power of suggestion.
"I have a deep interest in curriculum and instruction. The how's and the why's. I always have had," Snyder said.
As a teacher, she talked to the head of personnel at Elkhart about how she could get more involved in those areas. He told her she should be a principal. She checked into it and ended up getting her license through Indiana University South Bend. When the Lincoln principal job became open, she got it.
Teachers and parents have a lot of power of suggestion. If they tell their student or child they will be good at something, it'll happen, Snyder said.
Her philosophy as a principal is one of shared leadership. A school's staff need to collaborate as a team, she said, to make sure students learn and that the school is doing all it can to make sure that happens.
"Lincoln teachers are really, really good at doing whatever it takes. They do whatever it takes to get kids to learn. I can't commend them enough," she said.
The best way for teachers to get better, she said, is through sharing.
"I think we all have strengths. You start with what you're good at and share that with others so we all improve," Snyder said. "We need to all be on the same team and we're all good at something and bring something different to the table."
As for goals for Lincoln, Snyder said, "It's an evolving process. It's like starting off with anything else in life. You accomplish one thing and move on to the next. That's also a part of collaboration. Our team decides what to work on. The state plays a part in that because they set our standards. The central administration sets our goals and supports us.
"All the schools work together in Warsaw. We learn from them, they learn from us. It doesn't happen elsewhere. Warsaw is unique in that its schools are willing to learn from each other," she said.
Away from Lincoln, Snyder has her own "other" family. She and her husband, Jack, have three children. Her daughter teaches at Madison, one son teaches at Penn-Harris Madison and another son teachers in Plymouth. Two of her children's spouses also are teachers. Jack is a teacher at Concord.
Since coming to Warsaw Community Schools in 2002, Snyder's family has grown. She has six grandchildren now, with one on the way.
