Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rick Fowler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rick, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
When growing up my father was a very important person in my life. My parents were divorced and lived in different states. I lived with my mother I would see my father during the summer and holidays. My father was an emergency room physician and wanted to walk in the footsteps of my father I aspired to be a medical doctor. I attended Howard University and graduated with a bachelors of science in chemistry. My purpose at the time was to take that degree and enter into medical school. I took a year off to teach high school chemistry in Maryland. My father, came to see me teach while on a visit. At dinner that evening, he said to me son, you are not a doctor, you are a teacher. That comment was unbelievably freeing to me because it never was truly my desire to be a doctor. My desire was to be like my father and I thought pursing medical school was the route. When he told me that I was a teacher, it shifted my purpose. Subsequent to that conversation, I made a career out of being an education. Throughout my career I have served as a teacher, an assistant principal, a middle school principal, and now a high school principal.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Throughout my over 20 years as educator, I have come into contact with the most amazing students, teachers, leaders and mentors who have shaped me into the professional I am today. I have seen students who are most adept academically and who have been accepted to and graduated from Ivy league colleges as well as know students who have lost their lives far to early. I have been with students who have overcome barriers that are unimaginable and have seen students who have dropped out of school early due to those same barriers.
I have met with and observed teachers who have an uncanny ability to engage and motivate students to learn. Even in subjects that students typically struggle in. Despite students entering into the learning environment with deficiencies that may make it challenging for them, I have had the awesome opportunity to watch educators provide the type of education that closes that gap. The type of instruction that opens doors as opposed to closing them. The type of teacher that can mold students that other teachers have difficulty reaching. To see that happen is truly amazing.
I have experienced the type of mentorship for experienced educators and leaders that have shaped, reshaped, and reshaped again my approached to education. Mentored me on how to connect with all types of students, recognizing their backgrounds, experiences, and hardships. How to take who they are and mold them into something different. Mentorship that has tested my own fortitude, challenged my ability to be better in order to serve better. Challenged me to grow in order to grow my sphere of influence. Mentorship that ultimately inspired me to mentor.
Through all of this, I have grown to become a leader who is focused on giving back in the same way that a myriad of individuals poured into me. In that spirit, have founded RMFV Educational and Leadership Consulting. The focus of this business is to assist teachers and leaders in developing strategies that will aid in meeting students and/or educators and leaders from where they to where they want to be. Please know that this experience will be collaborative in nature and will include coaching, mentorship, observations with feedback connected to specific strategies that will produce growth.
The most exciting part of this journey is that the relationship is symbiotic. As you are, I too am a lifelong learner. I do not espouse to have all the answers, but through collaboration, we will get there together.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that were most impactful in my journey were resiliency, courage, and humility. Resiliency in the sense at times when you don’t know how to reach a student it is easy to give up or attribute why you cant reach a student to barriers that are out of your control. Every student can be reached. We need resiliency so that we never give up. Students need the most love from us when they deserve it the least.
Courage in that our work is courageous. When confronting adults who aren’t doing right by kids takes a courageous leader. It takes a courageous leader to make decisions that may not be popular but its the right thing to do. It takes courage at times to speak truth even when that truth hurts. It takes courage to stick to the schools mission and vision when its not easy.
Humility because as educators we don’t have all the answers. And at times, when people think you should have all the answers because you are a teacher or a leader, humility needs to kick in to say I don’t know but I will find our. Be humble enough to say to yourself even though I have reached a student it means I need to keep working as opposed to saying they are unreachable. Our work as educators is extremely difficult and humility must be a part of the journey.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
The “who” that has been most helpful in helping me overcome challenges is actually “they.” In the education profession it is most important that we don’t personalize our challenges but rather meet them as a team. Challenges at the leadership level are met by meeting with the leadership team, outlining the challenge, and them problem solving as a team.
Early in my leadership journey, I thought all the answers need to come from me as I was the principal. I wanted to prove to everyone that I had all the answers. My leadership journey early on was devoid of humility. Now I realize that collectively we have the answers and the ability execute the plan. As a team. Not as an individual. So my team has been most helpful in overcoming challenge. However, the leader has to ensure that the right people are on the team.
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: Rick Fowler
- Twitter: @rmfvconsulting
- Youtube: RMF V Educational and Leadership Consulting
- Other: email [email protected]
