The Nebraska Writing Project honors Omaha Public School administrator JoAnna Hale with this year’s Administrative Leadership Award. It was through JoAnna’s vision and her deep respect for teachers that she made possible a special tuition assistance program for Omaha Public Schools teachers to attend this year’s Summer Institute, making the signature Writing Project experience accessible to more teachers. When I met with JoAnna, I was struck by her genuine investment in the well-being of her teachers that emerged in our conversation, a theme that runs through many comments from those she works with.
In the words of one of her OPS teachers, “JoAnna has been endlessly kind as she leads English teachers. She and I have worked together on OPS's bringing on Cambridge, and she's been so quick to yield to what classroom teachers are saying or thinking. She's pushed me personally to do the Institute and worked to know the English teachers in OPS. I love her attitude and appreciate her trust.”
Another said, “It was immediately obvious how much she cares for the teachers in her district and their furthered development. I appreciate her greatly and have loved getting to work under her leadership.”
And from an additional teacher, “I appreciate that JoAnna approaches conversations about teacher concerns and ideas with openness. Her approach helps us feel supported and valued.”
Echoing these ideas, another teacher wrote, “Working with JoAnna this year had been great! It's my first year in OPS so it's been a year full of new things and new trials. We piloted a new curriculum, and JoAnna was great about checking in with us and taking our honest feedback. She stopped by my classroom to observe and get my input, which I thought was really great. She does a great job of pointing us in the directions of different opportunities for professional development and leadership, additional trainings for the new resources we are implementing, and she always makes sure we get paid for our time!”
And finally, one of her teachers added, “I got to interact with JoAnna a great deal this year both through field testing new curriculum and as a first year teacher. She has made it abundantly clear how dedicated she is to listening to her teachers' voices and doing what she can in a large district to get us the materials and resources we need to do our work to the best of our ability.”
These themes—of listening to teachers, trusting them, and working to make meaningful professional development opportunities possible for them—align with the core values of the Nebraska Writing Project, and we are honored to present JoAnna Hale with this award.
