Long before she landed the job title for real, SAM TURNER got a nibble of what life was like in the principal’s office at an elementary school.
“When I was in fifth grade, my aunt let me be ‘principal for the day’ at her school. She was extremely liked by her staff, students and families,” Turner says. “Even at a young age, I remember the way her staff looked at her with respect and admiration.”
Turner can relate — the popular principal is in her second year running Champaign’s Dr. Howard Elementary, the school where it all started for her.
After earning her bachelor’s in early childhood education from Ohio’s Miami University, Turner went right to work at the old Dr. Howard, spending two years teaching second grade. When she returned in 2023 — after teaching in Mahomet and serving as assistant principal at Garden Hills — it was to a much different Dr. Howard, built anew as part of Unit 4’s six-school referendum.
Turner lives on her family farm in Bellflower with husband Matt, three-year-old son Bennett and ninth-month-old daughter Willa.
The Mahomet-Seymour alumna took time out to answer questions from Editor Jeff D’Alessio in the 260th installment of our weekly speed read spotlighting leaders of organizations big and small.
The hardest thing about being a leader is ... all of the decisions you have to make quickly in a day that have a lasting impact.
My professional role model is ... Wendy Starwalt. Wendy hired me at Dr. Howard as a second-grade teacher eight years ago, she mentored me throughout my master’s degree (in educational policy, organization and leadership from the University of Illinois) and she is the first person I call when I need help today.
When it comes to my favorite moments in this job … all students in our building have to create a hope and dream for the school year. This year, I started calling home when students reach their hope and dream.
It brings tears to my eyes when I see how proud the students are and how excited the families get.
I can’t live without my ... office staff. My secretaries, assistant principals and SSA are the backbones to our building. I am so thankful for each of them.
The three terms I hope my staff would use to describe me are … joyful, organized and a good listener.
On my office walls, you’ll find … mementos from my grandmother and aunt from their classrooms and principal offices. My aunt always said it was “all for the kids” and I have that posted on my wall.
Come meeting time … mine always start with celebrations. Teachers need to be able to reflect on all of the amazing things they do.
If I could trade places for a week with anyone in town … does Dairy Queen have taste testers? That’s where I’d like to be.
The single-most important question I ask job candidates during interviews is … what would former students say about you?
For college … I chose to attend Miami University because they get you into classrooms immediately. Any class that came with volunteer time in the classroom was so beneficial.
For lunch … I have a bad habit of ordering food on Grubhub. Jimmy John’s is my go-to.
For exercise … I try to do some type of workout three days a week. I love running when the weather is nice enough to be outside.
As far as good books go … I read a book every night before bed with my son. Right now, he loves a book called “Let’s Talk About Dirt Bikes.”
I wind down after work by … putting my phone away and playing with my kids.
They are the best escape from a hard day.
Every morning … my alarm is set for 5:30 a.m. but I sure like my snooze button.
The first job I ever had was … in high school, at our movie rental store, called Play It Again. My first job out of college was actually here at Dr. Howard. I was a second-grade teacher in the “old” building.
The worst job I ever had was ... cutting volunteer corn out of bean fields in the summers with my dad. Now that’s some hard work.