|  | | MESPA Home > Honors > MESPA Division Leadership Award > 2008 Awards |  | Pamela S. Becker, South Suburban Division
 | | Pamela S. Becker, principal of Glendale Elementary, Prior Lake-Savage School District (ISD #719) |
Pamela Becker was nominated for the South Suburban MESPA Division Leadership Achievement Award “because her enthusiasm to make a difference is contagious and helps to build the camaraderie that is so vital to the principalship. Pam Becker is a constant and positive promoter of the principalship and what it can do for individuals and districts. Her energy and flair have made South Suburban a model division and she is a poster child for what a principal is and should be,” according to Tim Bell, current South Suburban Division president and principal at Five Hawks Elementary.
Bell continued: “Pam has been a guiding force in keeping the forward momentum that was built by her predecessors with initiatives such as suggesting (and making happen!) a principal panel with Dr. Douglas Reeves during Institute 2007 (the statewide annual convention of Minnesota’s elementary school principals), inviting TIES to conduct a data retreat in Prior Lake, and volunteering to be the test site for a division Web linked to MESPA. Not only does she contribute an idea, but she offers answers for how to do it, or knows of people who can make it happen.
“Pam also realizes the importance of community and invites all to participate, whether through volunteerism or contributions of financial assistance. She is active in the broader community as Savage Chamber of Commerce president!”
In accepting the Division Leadership Achievement award, Becker noted the three most significant accomplishments of her education career: “I credit my 26 years as a grade 1 and 2 teacher as a catalyst to becoming a principal; this accomplishment has given me insight into the role a principal plays in the lives of all stakeholders. I am very proud of taking two at-risk school cultures and developing them into positive environments where children can flourish; the social and emotional well-being of all stakeholders, I believe, is vital to school success. Finally, being chosen as a principal-on-special-assignment to help develop a new school has enabled me to use all aspects of my leadership training to its fullest potential.”
Becker believes that giving children the gifts of independence, discovery, and resilience is critical to their growth and development. This is summarized in the words from John W. Gardner that she and her husband kept on their refrigerator as they raised their sons – and that she kept in her classroom throughout her 26 years of teaching: “All too often we are giving young people cut flowers, when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.”
Becker was honored as a Teacher of Excellence, 1983; and has served the MESPA South Suburban division as Legislative Resolutions Committee representative, Negotiations Committee representative, President-elect, and President.
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