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Topeka elementary job like ‘coming home’
Becky Siegel, 42, is principal at Topeka Elementary School, 128 School St., part of the Westview School Corp.
A 1985 graduate of Westview Jr.-Sr. High School, Siegel chose to continue her education at Ball State University where she graduated in 1989 with a K-6 elementary education degree.
After receiving her undergraduate degree, Siegel went on to pursue her master’s degree at Indiana University Purdue University-Fort Wayne, earning a master’s in elementary education with an administrative endorsement in 1997.
As for her teaching career, Siegel secured her first job teaching fourth grade at Honeyville Elementary near Shipshewana in the 1989-90 school year.
“After Honeyville I went to Shipshewana Scott Elementary in the 1990-91 school year and taught there for seven years,” Siegel said. “My next job was as an assistant principal at West Noble Elementary School from 1997 to 1999.”
Siegel made her final move to Topeka Elementary in the fall of 1999, where she has served as principal for the past 10 years.
“I actually went to school here as a child, so when the position opened up here, I thought it would be like coming home,” Siegel said. “A lot of the families and friends I grew up with still live and work in the area, and I thought it would be a great way to serve the community I grew up in.”
Siegel lives in Millersburg with her husband, Jeff, and their two children, Jeremy and Hannah.
Below is a list of questions recently answered by Siegel regarding education, her school, and her teaching philosophy.
Q: What is your philosophy or mission statement when it comes to education?
A: My philosophy is just to continue to build relationships between the family, the community and the school, and also to create a safe and inviting school climate and maximize learning for all students.
Q: Why do you think it’s important for parents and community members to take an interest in their local schools?
A: I believe there is a direct link to student achievement when parents and the community are interested and supportive. Our kids now in school are our future.
Q: Looking back over the years since you started in education, would you say the educational system has changed much?
A: It has. I would say there is much more of a focused structure from the state as far as education and accountability standards. Things are much more state mandated than locally controlled now. When I first started teaching, there was guidance from the state, but now it’s pretty much all mandated from the state.
On one hand I think it’s a good thing because it does give you a direction, but then it also removes some of that local decision making as far as special projects or things you may want to implement or incorporate on a local level. Sometimes your hands are tied because of some of these mandated standards.
Q: Looking forward, what are some of the bigger challenges currently facing your school?
A: I would say in general the biggest challenge schools are facing is the budget cuts that are hitting us now. That’s just a huge impact on schools.
Our percentage of students qualifying for the free and reduced lunch program has also increased dramatically over the years. When I first started here if we had 10 or 11 percent that was considered high, and now we’re probably pretty close to 69 percent. So we’re watching it, and it’s making us think through things a little bit differently than we’ve had to in the past.
This is the latest in a series about local principals.
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