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Listen "050 – S2 E14 – Advocacy, leadership, and an ability to find the strengths of every student and their families"
Episode Synopsis
homeroom is an international podcast bridging the education gap between the classroom and the living room by starting conversations impacting the next generation.
In this episode, I speak with Antoinette—the current principal of the elementary school I attended in the late 80s and early 90s. We talk a little about how her early memories of standing up for other people and correcting injustices in school and society might have led her to a career in education, in both teaching and administrative roles. This episode is particularly special because I have always appreciated the amazing design of the project-based curriculum and community of my alma mater, and Antoinette allowed me to ask her about what happens behind the scenes.
Check out our conversation, join our ongoing discourse on social media, and subscribe for more. https://www.instagram.com/homeroomed
You can also find a computer-generated transcript of our episode at https://www.homeroomed.com
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Antoinette is a principal of twelve years. Her oath to the children of Los Angeles began in 1998 as a paraprofessional and has evolved over the years to the principalship. In 1993, she received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine in Criminology, Law and Society, however an elementary school internship, changed her path. Antoinette also received a Master of Educational Leadership from Mount Saint Mary’s University.
Antoinette’s gravitation to servant leadership is rooted in the legacy of her parents and grandparents who served the community of Los Angeles for decades as a teacher/principal (mother), law enforcement officer (father), county hospital neonatal nurse (grandmother) and city horticulturist (grandfather). Antoinette expands their reach by standing humbly in service to others.
Antoinette attributes the basis of her leadership style to her first principal, Michelle Bennett, who valued teachers as professionals and experts of their craft. This mentorship led Antoinette to cultivate an environment of excellence where educators make student-centered, consensus-based decisions. The partnership that Antoinette creates from community stakeholders, was instilled in her as a budding teacher and will forever be her compass.
Antoinette has brilliantly been a guide in education to innovatively influence her students’ and teachers’ lives immeasurably. One kind former teacher and parent adequately described her as a “teacher-supporting, students-first principal.” Antoinette agrees, this statement sums her commitment up perfectly. https://www.instagram.com/ruthiesrubies www.linkedin.com/in/antoinettecassruthiesrubies11
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Rée is a visual storyteller and educator exploring the consequences that mass education has on creativity, identity, and interpersonal connection. https://www.instagram.com/theinterdisciplinarian
In this episode, I speak with Antoinette—the current principal of the elementary school I attended in the late 80s and early 90s. We talk a little about how her early memories of standing up for other people and correcting injustices in school and society might have led her to a career in education, in both teaching and administrative roles. This episode is particularly special because I have always appreciated the amazing design of the project-based curriculum and community of my alma mater, and Antoinette allowed me to ask her about what happens behind the scenes.
Check out our conversation, join our ongoing discourse on social media, and subscribe for more. https://www.instagram.com/homeroomed
You can also find a computer-generated transcript of our episode at https://www.homeroomed.com
—
Antoinette is a principal of twelve years. Her oath to the children of Los Angeles began in 1998 as a paraprofessional and has evolved over the years to the principalship. In 1993, she received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine in Criminology, Law and Society, however an elementary school internship, changed her path. Antoinette also received a Master of Educational Leadership from Mount Saint Mary’s University.
Antoinette’s gravitation to servant leadership is rooted in the legacy of her parents and grandparents who served the community of Los Angeles for decades as a teacher/principal (mother), law enforcement officer (father), county hospital neonatal nurse (grandmother) and city horticulturist (grandfather). Antoinette expands their reach by standing humbly in service to others.
Antoinette attributes the basis of her leadership style to her first principal, Michelle Bennett, who valued teachers as professionals and experts of their craft. This mentorship led Antoinette to cultivate an environment of excellence where educators make student-centered, consensus-based decisions. The partnership that Antoinette creates from community stakeholders, was instilled in her as a budding teacher and will forever be her compass.
Antoinette has brilliantly been a guide in education to innovatively influence her students’ and teachers’ lives immeasurably. One kind former teacher and parent adequately described her as a “teacher-supporting, students-first principal.” Antoinette agrees, this statement sums her commitment up perfectly. https://www.instagram.com/ruthiesrubies www.linkedin.com/in/antoinettecassruthiesrubies11
—
Rée is a visual storyteller and educator exploring the consequences that mass education has on creativity, identity, and interpersonal connection. https://www.instagram.com/theinterdisciplinarian
More episodes of the podcast homeroom
087 – S4E2 – Purpose
08/08/2025
086 – S4 E1 – Agency
04/07/2025
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