The Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District welcomes Jean Winkler as our new RCS Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction. Her first day on the job was Wednesday, July 5, taking the office previously occupied by Fred Engelbardt before he resigned last school year.
Before Jean settled down and got to work, we asked her a few questions to learn more about how her career path led to RCS.
Can you tell RCS a little bit about yourself? I am a lifelong resident of the Capital District and grew up in Delmar. Now I live in Slingerlands with my husband, Joe, and our golden retriever, Walton. My large and sprawling family keeps me connected and grounded by reminding me what is really important - spending time with people I love, having a sense of humor, and taking the time to enjoy the good things that come into my life.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Reading. I love to mix up what I read but my preference is fiction, and especially young adult novels. I love when people share book titles with me because it reminds me of the librarian from my elementary school, Mrs. Gravely. She fed me a constant diet of new books growing up no matter how many times a week I came into the library. And, anything that gets me outside all year long brings me joy: biking, hiking, snowshoeing … even reading is better when I can be outside, weather permitting, of course.
What inspired you to work in the education field? The spark came during a walk in the woods with my sisters, and we were sharing our dream jobs. I was working in finance at the time, and I didn’t even hesitate before I said, “teaching.” I was lucky to have strong, smart mentors along the way who guided me toward a program for my masters, coached me through interviews, and pushed me to be a better teacher than I thought I could be. I’ve always had an appreciation for learning new things by questioning, researching, and challenging myself. I can’t think of a field more appropriate for that mindset than education.
What do you enjoy most about working in the education field? I absolutely thrive when working with people who are smart, hardworking and embrace investigating what we might do better. I have always been someone who sees tremendous value in learning from people around me. Everywhere you turn in education, you can tap into the expertise, skills and strengths of others. I have a lot to offer, and so do the people I work with. I find inspiration from the educators around me.
What are you looking forward to in your new position at RCS? Every member of a school community- staff, students, families - can all identify the things about their school that are a source of pride for them. I can’t wait to learn about what members of the RCS community are proud of because it will show me what’s important and valued, what is worth prioritizing, and what are the foundations we can grow from.
How do you plan to best support our staff? I think a critical step is to get to know who they are. I can accomplish this by spending time outside of my office, asking questions that get staff talking about what they do, and listening closely for what they need. By building strong partnerships and teams, we can begin to address needs while celebrating the strengths and successes of the RCS community.