In the halls of Saint Helena Catholic School in Minneapolis, Principal Karla Gergen moves with a joy and an energy. Her journey to school leadership was unexpected. A former English teacher whose love for literature is only paralleled by her passion for pedagogy, Gergen found her calling in the very classrooms she once vowed to never leave.
“I just always knew that I wanted to go into education,” she says. “Catholic schools have always felt like home. So, I became a teacher.”
She would spend 10 years honing her teaching craft in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis before teaching in Honduras. It was there that the Lord began asking her for more.
“I always said, ‘I never want to be a principal,'” Gergen recalls with a smile. “If someone told me, ‘You should think about leadership,’ I resisted. I loved teaching. I didn’t want to be in the office all the time. I had this idea that a principal’s day was wasted scheduling buses or coordinating school lunch — not for me.”
Expanding her focus
However, Gergen’s reluctance was softened by gentle nudges from colleagues and friends, and serendipitous opportunities. After teaching at her first school in Honduras for a few years, a one-year interim assistant principal position opened.
“The principal approached me and asked if I would apply. My fellow teachers prodded me to apply. So, I did and was assistant principal for a year. I couldn’t believe it, but I really, really enjoyed it,” she admits. “After that year, a principal position opened up at a small school close by, and once again my co-workers, my friends, and my husband were insistent that I apply. But now I felt different; I had a year of experience, and I knew I liked the work. I applied, I got the job, and I loved it.”
Gergen realized the shift from teaching to administration demanded a different level of attention and strategy.
“I had to now think big picture and say, ‘What do all of these other people — the teachers, the families — what do they need to be successful?'” she explains.
Her focus remained the classroom, but now her vision was expanded to every classroom.
“Finding the balance between all the needs is difficult. What are our immediate needs versus our long-term needs and how do I prioritize them correctly? That’s hard.”
Connecting with families
Yet, for Gergen, the role of principal is as much about preservation as it is about progress.
“Catholic schools have always been a second home for students and families. In the past, everyone who wanted to receive a Catholic education did so. If you look at pictures of Saint Helena’s in the ’60s, not only was it full, but I don’t know how they fit that many kids in the building. So how are we as an archdiocese ensuring that every family who wants a Catholic education can receive one today?” she asks with fervor. “How are we sending the message that we want to partner with anyone who walks through our doors? When we’re clear about who we are and what we stand for, we can welcome and reach out to families of varying backgrounds and faith journeys with confidence and strength. I don’t want there to be financial obstacles, language obstacles, academic obstacles. We have to work hard as a Catholic Church to make our schools accessible. I believe it’s a simple issue of justice.”
Offering insight
To those contemplating a move from teaching to leadership, Gergen offers insight: “Pay attention when people see gifts in you that you can’t see in yourself. If one person taps you on the shoulder, maybe that isn’t a sign, but if five do? It’s at least worth looking into. And if you discover that God is calling you to be a Catholic school leader, then do not be afraid. If God is on your side, who can be against you? God will prepare a path ahead of you that leads to success.”