New Marshall Simonds Principal Values Belonging, Sense of Team
There's a new school administrator in town, and he's ready to hit the ground running.
Tim McMahon took the reins from six-year Marshall Simonds Middle School principal, Cari Perchase, following her departure to another district this July. A Burlington resident and educator of 22 years, Tim comes to Marshall Simonds with experience as a middle and high school teacher and, most recently, principal of North Middlesex Regional High School.
McMahon grew up in Waltham, where he watched his mother teach for decades. He's known he wanted to teach and coach baseball since around 8th grade and fulfilled his dream after graduating from college by taking on a long-term substitute position in Waltham (where his mom was still teaching!). After working in various teaching roles for 16 years, he moved to North Middlesex as a principal. There he brought the school through the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in his first year.
Student behavior and enrollment were going great after five years at North Middlesex, said McMahon, and he wasn't looking for a new job. But when the opportunity to lead a school close to home presented itself, and in the face of a difficult financial climate, he decided to go for it. "I'm so excited," he said, nearly three weeks after beginning the role. Even though the students and many staff members aren't around, he already has a positive impression of the school from what he’s seen and the conversations he’s had. "This is a strong building. You can tell."
As far as what he hopes to accomplish as he begins the work of school administration, McMahon says he’s going in with an open mind, ears, and eyes. While he does plan to add bells to the school day routine, he doesn’t have any other initiatives in mind for the school quite yet. "It's not fair for me to come in with a massive agenda of corrective action because I don't know what we need to correct yet," he said. "I owe it to the staff and students here to be a really good listener, a really good visual learner, and get a sense for the lay of the land,” and make improvements as the necessity presents itself.
That said, McMahon made a name for himself at North Middlesex by not shying away from difficult decisions that he believes will improve the overall school climate. He spoke of a situation that came up during his first year as principal where, he says, students were not behaving appropriately at sports games. After multiple attempts to compel kids to follow the rules for behavior and decorum, he made the tough decision to temporarily ban student spectators. The decision wasn't popular with everyone, but McMahon said that when the ban was lifted, students settled into the new expectations and things improved.
McMahon repeatedly emphasized the importance of team cohesiveness, a value illustrated by the Ted Lasso-style "BELIEVE" sign waiting to be hung in his office , signed by all the cast members. It's important that "we're all in the same boat rowing in the right direction," he said. He described making pancakes for his staff and holding games during professional development time to enhance the team environment, while trusting staff to complete administrative tasks like reading through the staff handbook on their own time. Teachers want time in their classrooms at the beginning of the year, and that's what he's going to give them, he says, adding, "Micromanagement is not my forte."
Before the year begins, McMahon is focusing on building relationships with staff, parents, and students. He's invited teachers in for one-on-one meetings, and he'll be holding coffee hours with parents in August. Once the year gets started, he looks forward to working collaboratively to foster a school environment that embodies his core value of every student and staff member feeling safe and welcome. "The best seven hours of the day should be here,” he says, and he’ll do everything he can to be sure that when they’re not, kids have a trusted adult to talk to.
Conflicts will inevitably arise, and when asked how he would handle them, he said his default will be to pick up the phone. One-on-one conversations are the key, McMahon says, to building relationships with key stakeholders as well as addressing incorrect and incomplete information when it comes up. When asked specifically about how he plans to address parents' concerns about teachers bringing their personal and political beliefs into the classroom, especially during what will certainly be a contentious election year, he says he plans to provide staff with professional development to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to handle difficult conversations while leaving their own beliefs aside. Staff will hear from the Safe Schools Director from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the beginning of the year, and they'll receive professional development from a group of attorneys McMahon has worked with in the past to remind staff of their legal responsibilities.
"I value the skills kids need for life...just as much if not more than some of the academic skills," including self-advocacy and the ability to navigate interpersonal relationships, he says—skills the adults in a school building model for students daily.
And when large issues come up, McMahon pledges to communicate swiftly, if briefly. Something is better than nothing, he says, because transparency is lost in the void of silence. "I won't shy away from controversy but I will be delicate with how I respond to it in terms of student and staff impact," he says. "But ignoring it is not going to be the way to do it."
Self-reflection and humility seem to be key values McMahon has developed over these last 22 years as an educator and from observing his mother before that. He repeatedly said things like, "Where's the learning there?" and "How can I get better?" And he hopes to encourage these qualities in the Marshall Simonds staff and students as well.
The Buzz wishes Mr. McMahon the best as he begins the new school year on August 28, and we look forward to seeing how our town’s middle school moves forward under his guidance.
