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Marne Autobee is in her third year as principal of Harrison School. She is Colorado native but moved around quite a bit as she grew up. She's lived in Arvada, Coal Creek Canyon, Grand Junction, Pueblo, Alamosa, and Brighton. "We moved to Pueblo when I was in high school and I graduated from Pueblo Centennial High School." After college and teaching in Brighton, Mrs. Autobee moved back to Pueblo where she still lives.
Marne adds, "while I was still in college, I was on the faculty at Adams State University as the Upward Bound Academic Coordinator." "After graduating with my Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English, I taught high school English in Brighton and earned a Master's Degree in Educational Counseling." Marne was a counselor at Sunset Park Elementary and Goodnight School in Pueblo, then earned her Principal's License, becoming an Academic Support Specialist, then an Assistant Principal, and then a Principal. She also served as a liaison for Educator Effectiveness for the Colorado Dept of Education.
"The hardest thing about being a principal is trying to implement positive change." "When people struggle to give trust or lack a growth mindset, it can be difficult to help them see the benefits of changing."
Marne says, "the most rewarding part of my job, other than getting to see kids all day, is working behind the scenes to support teachers." "If I can do anything to make their jobs easier and to help them serve kids better, I do!"
For folks who think they might like to become a school principal, Mrs. Autobee offers this three-step plan:
1. Spend a lot of time shadowing and learning from a great principal!
2. Be prepared to give up a lot of your personal time, energy, and sleep!
3. Find people to connect with. If you are the only leader in a building, it gets lonely, so seek others who you can learn from and share ideas with!