Check Out Scott Wolf’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Wolf.

Hi Scott, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I would not be where I am today without my faith in God as that is where my life started and how I got to where I am today. I grew up in a loving family that supported me as we did not have any extended family nearby. My passion for engineering and design led me to Northwestern University. As I gained skills in design, I recognized that I was more interested in designing for learning environments than objects and I caught the education bug by volunteering at local elementary schools and working for the central office of the Chicago Public Schools. I graduated from Northwestern with a major in Learning and Organizational Change with a concentration in education. Working in education was the only thing I could see myself doing because of my belief in education as the great equalizer and an opportunity for all individuals to reach their full potential in an unjust and inequitable world.

Motivated to make an impact in education, I joined Teacher For America and started as a second-grade teacher in East San Jose and my students were my life. I visited the homes of all of my students, took students on weekend adventures hiking, and passionately worked towards student achievement results for my students that were comparable to surrounding, more affluent school districts. The best wedding gift I received was the student achievement scores my principal brought on a printed sheet of paper showing that 100% of my students were on grade level on the state assessment in math! I loved the classroom, but I saw many of my incredible colleagues leave teaching because they did not have excellent school leaders, so I went to San Jose Statel for my administrator license. After teaching in San Jose for 5 years I moved to Colorado to support teachers across the state.

It was an incredible experience to be able to see classrooms and schools across the state for 4 years and I was able to bring those experiences to North High School where I worked for 9 years, 7 of those as the principal. My time at North shaped me more than any other time in my life as I became a part of the amazing North Denver community, built lasting relationships, and created the learning environment I had been dreaming of since catching the education bug where students of all walks of life came together to bring out the best in each other. I absolutely loved the family feel of the diverse student body at North and how everyone supported one another.

Through all the ups and downs, my faith in God kept me steady and since being in Denver I have attended Highlands Church which has provided me with an inclusive community of support to sustain me in the emotional work of education. I am thankful to stand on the shoulders of my incredible mentors who have blessed me along the way with wisdom from my first principal, to my great professors, to the incredible leaders I have worked with in Denver.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with any journey worth taking, struggles have existed along the way. I remember my first year of teaching to be the hardest year that I have ever experienced. It started with an introduction to my classroom. My principal showed me and one of my colleagues their classroom with computers, books, and desks. As we walked to my classroom, my principal said my classroom was not quite as ready for the start of school. When he opened the door, all that was inside was a whiteboard and rainbow curtains covering the one tiny window. No desks, no books, no other resources. While it was a struggle to build out my classroom, I learned resilience and resourcefulness as my students deserved nothing less.

Another struggle was leading a school through the pandemic. I remember the day like yesterday when we told students they were going home early for Spring Break in 2020 and they needed to take all their things with them as we had no idea when they would return. As it turned out, students would not return in person and we had to pivot everything that we were doing. Just like that, we had to turn North from a brick-and-mortar school into a virtual school where teachers had to adjust their instructional methods, maintain relationships with students from afar, and provide for our families in whatever way necessary from distributing technology to grab-and-go food.

Through these experiences and others, I have learned to value the journey just as much as the end goal.  So often, we become focused on our destination, that we lose focus on the human experience that we are going through together.  I have also learned that when we center the human experience, we are better together and that just because I think something, it may not be the right thing and I need to be open to the ideas of others.  This has led me to be a person who tries to live in the grey space of both/ and, as I have learned that it is challenging to work with each other if we approach situations from an us vs. them mentally.  

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an educator at heart and have been since I began teaching. My personal mission statement is to educate and empower marginalized youth to make a positive difference in the world. This mission has guided me as a teacher, teacher coach, assistant principal, principal, and now Operational Services Director for Denver Public Schools where I work to be an equity champion in everything that I do.

I am most proud of my work at North High School. At North, the enrollment doubled from just under 800 students to over 1600 students while we increased graduation rates and offered more rigorous courses for students. The staff team at North was the best staff ever and was recognized for excellent instruction and robust wrap-around services. We implemented game-changing programs for students like a college transition advisor who built relationships with students in high school and continued to support them as alumni to ensure success after graduation. We formed meaningful partnerships with community organizations and established ourselves as a core component of the North Denver community building on the amazing legacy started in 1883.

I love that wherever I go in the North community I run into young adults who were students at North when I was principal. They share stories with me about how thankful they are for their time as they are now in college, managing at restaurants, or in a well-paying trade. I can’t go to the gym, grocery store, or park without having a student or parent say hi to me, which affirms me in my work that we did great work together at North as nobody has to say hi, but they choose to. I don’t think I would have said hi to my high school principal if I saw him in the community, so I like that I am known as someone who poured everything that I had into the North community that I cared deeply for and we would able to do great work together at the community level.

What sets me apart is that I am not satisfied with the status quo. I want to innovate within education and believe that if we strategically partner between schools and the private sector, we can provide meaningful learning experiences for students as organizations need top talent and schools need more resources. I believe that we can meet the needs of all students in an equitable way if we all work together, recognizing that we all have different perspectives.  If we approach each other and every situation with love, we can solve complex challenges and create the best future for all. I also like to have fun as I would ride a scooter around the hallways of North to get places faster and let students pie me in the face, under the right circumstances.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Margin by Richard Swenson helps to ground me in not filling my life so that it overflows. The Power of Meaning by Emily Esfahani Smith has helped me be purposeful in my life. Reframing the Path to School Leadership by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal is my guide for school leadership.

Anti-Racism Daily https://the-ard.com/ provides great resources to be actively anti-racist. Doctor of Credit provides the best tips on how to save money and get deals. The COTREX app helps me find great hikes and outdoor activities in Colorado. CrankyFlier https://crankyflier.com/ updates me on everything about the airline industry – my interest outside of education

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/educatorwolf