A New Perspective: Principal Mary Lee McCoy

written by Kate H.

Through all of our years in education we only see one perspective: ours. As students we experience the strict teachers, smelly bathrooms, and the cliques. But what happens when we switch our point of view? What advice and wisdom can we gain from the teachers’ experiences? I had the pleasure of talking with my principal to receive her opinions on education, college, and life after school. Below you will find her story, and I believe many of you will relate to her struggles, discoveries, and successes.

Principal Mary Lee McCoy has many years of educational experience from being a student to teaching in many schools and even in two different states. Her jobs changed as she moved, but she is now principal at an all girls high school. She once was principal for a co-ed school and, though she said she loved her job, her “commitment has always been educating young women; [she] thinks it is very important that girls, in their teenage years, are given the skills they need to compete in the world that comes afterwards.” She also believes that “all girls education makes girls go off to college and be able to speak up for themselves,” which is something she prides herself on helping her students achieve.

Mrs. McCoy always knew she wanted to be a teacher. It was moments like receiving her teacher’s planning books while helping to clean out her classroom at the end of her second grade year that encouraged Mrs. McCoy to look further into teaching. Eager to teach, she held “summer school” for her neighborhood. As recalling the memory, she laughed and said she was a “mean” teacher because she made all of the students do their homework. Little did she know at the time, she was already beginning to develop her passion for education.

Though she knew she wanted to go into education she, like many, had to figure out exactly which path to take. She originally thought that she wanted to teach in a Montessori school. However, after job shadowing in college, she realized that wasn’t the right job for her. It was after this experience that she knew her passions were English and high school education, and this is what she was going to pursue.

As a student, Mrs. McCoy was very studious. Growing up, she attended public schools in which she had little to no homework and as long as she paid attention in class, the tests weren’t challenging. She become accustomed to this way of learning and assumed she could breeze through college, too. However, this was not the case. Her college courses were much more rigorous and she had to reteach herself how to learn. It was because of this experience that she knew she was going to dedicate herself to teaching her students how to study and write.

In order to succeed, she recognized that she needed to study better. She loved the library, especially in times of stress. After class, she would copy over her notes and would make sure to put the content in her own words so that she was “making sense of it for [herself]”. She found that this resulted in better retention of the information, and she became more and more confident when going to take a test. This strategy worked very well, and it’s what helped her succeed in her courses. But this was not her only way of studying. Before a test and exam, while walking from her sorority house to the location of the test, she would repeat everything to herself specifically attempting to answer theoretical essay questions. Mrs. McCoy believes repetition is the key to retaining information.

When she was a student, everything was lecture and notes. There was very little interaction and engagement during class. As a result, this is how she learned to teach her students. When her daughter was born, however, she decided to take some time off. When she returned to her passion, she soon figured out that lecturing does not work. It was while teaching 7th and 8th grade students that she discovered “students have to be involved in their learning in order to really take in what they are learning”. Around this time, the science and psychology behind teaching and learning was changing too, supporting active learning and creating an emphasis on utilizing literature that appeals to the kids. Mrs. McCoy says “education is a science too” and believes teachers must adapt to the changes of technology and how that will affect education along with the discovery of better methods for teaching certain genders and ages.

Mrs. McCoy loved all of her students and especially appreciated “the student who would be willing to say something different than what the other students were saying, because sometimes that’s difficult for a teenage girl.” Some of her favorite teaching moments include hearing different perspectives and ideas and simply joking around with her students.

We can all learn form Mrs. McCoy’s journey. She had perseverance, passion, dedication, and compassion. I challenge you to actively participate in class, bring different perspectives every day, and appreciate all that our teachers and faculty do for us!

“Being and educator is a gift, to be able to help young people grow and learn and have confidence in themselves as they move on. It’s nice to go to a job everyday that you love, and I love this one!”