Meet Tertia Sartain of Keiller Leadership Academy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tertia Sartain.

Tertia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started teaching at Keiller Middle School the second week of school on a Tuesday in 1998. I was taking over a 7th grade English classroom position. I walked into what was then called Room B-13, a classroom that had books and remnants from the past teacher who once resided in this room strewn about the room. I had just enough time before that first bell rang to clear the desks and then I hit the ground sprinting.

After that first day, I didn’t think I was cut out to teach there. The one saving grace was my next door teacher, Jennifer Macintosh. After my first week at Keiller, she sat me down, congratulated me for making it through the week, and then said to me, “This is going to be the most challenging year you will have ever experienced. Hang in there, always keep your cool, be yourself. and if you survive this year, next year’s students will know this and they will respect you for it.” She was right, that year was the most difficult time in my life- even to this day, but I am still here.

Thirteen years ago, we were according to NCLB guidelines a failing school. Myself, along with teachers and families walked the neighborhood petitioning for a change. As a community of educators and families, led by our fearless leader at that time, Patricia Ladd closed our gates as Keiller Middle School and reopened as, Keiller Leadership Academy, a conversion charter school. Over the years we have grown into a K-8 school.

Our KLA Primary is a Montessori based program that transitions into our inquiry-based KLA Secondary program.

Through my journey here, I have taught 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade; English, History, Humanities, even Dance. I grew into an Instructional Coaching role, then a Curriculum Coordinator, and I have been the Academic Director for KLA Secondary for the past 6 years. I am in love with the community I serve, the students I am raising, and the work I do here every day. KLA is a beautiful place to be these days. I place my confidence in what we do at KLA by sending my own children here. There is no other school that I would rather them be. I am incredibly grateful for and still amazed at the way this life has offered me opportunities to grow into the leader I am today.

Alongside my professional journey as an educator, I have maintained my other life as a professional swing dancer, choreographer, and performer. Beginning at the early age of 5, I was a professional hula dancer and cast member of the Germaine’s Luau in Hawaii, where I grew up. My love for dance has followed me through my adult years and has influenced my personal life decisions. I met my husband at a swing dance about 15 years ago and have since then competed, taught, and performed mostly in California, but throughout the US as well.

We specialize in American vernacular jazz dances from the 1920’s through 50’s. We have had the opportunity to co-choreograph lindy hop routines for the early seasons of So You Think You Can Dance. Our passion for dancing and the connection we have with one another is deeply rooted in our love for early Jazz music. I also perform with Claudia Gomez’s Cherries Jubilee Show.

My passion for the performing arts has definitely driven my passion for the development of KLA’s performing arts program. I believe that for most children, it is a necessity to have an outlet to connect to something and then express themselves as artists. I think music and dance fulfill this need for many. There are many schools that do not offer any sort of performing arts. The fact that I have the influence to create an opportunity for children- specifically for those who would never otherwise have such an opportunity seems like the least I could do for my students.

Over the years I have recruited musicians and dancers and worked alongside them to develop and coach them in an educational setting. As a result, KLA has a performing arts program that continues to grow and prosper each year.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Generally speaking, being in education is never a smooth road. The challenges come from so many directions. You have the challenge of finding that balance of managing students and delivering quality instruction from year to year with different cohorts of students who take on their own unique group personality within the walls of a classroom.

Then you have the challenge of adjusting year to year with the bureaucracy of education- the ever-changing policies, the debate over what state standards are best, and the constant change in leadership pedagogy. More specifically, my journey with Keiller Leadership Academy has had many bumps and obstacles. First and foremost, there is the constant pressure to maintain a successful academic program. Knowing that many of our students enter KLA with huge gaps in literacy and math, yet the systems for accountability measure proficiency levels makes it very difficult to dispel all the myths out there about the quality and legitimacy of charter schools.

Then there is the managerial challenge of making sure we have the right people here to carry out our KLA vision. Several years ago we had a huge disruption amongst our Executive board and school administration. It took us a couple years to get us back to a place where putting the students first is the priority. In addition, finding the right balance of academic rigor and offering programs to support students socially and emotionally is a challenge.

For me personally, I struggle most with balancing my three lives. I have my professional life- defining who I am as an educational leader. I have my family life- being a life partner to my husband and a role model and nurturer to my children as well as providing the best life possible for them. And then I have my personal life- my aspirations of fulfilling the dream of being a professional swing dancer. The struggle lies in aligning everything so that I am not counterproductive, being a hypocrite, yet feeling good about myself for my day to day decisions in how I manage my time and energy. In addition, I am always mindful of not losing my own self in trying to do it all.

I think my biggest struggle personally is making sure that I am being a good mother to my own children. Sometimes I have to hit the pause button and ask myself, “Am I putting my KLA students before my own kid’s needs?” And if the answer is yes, I am perplexed- I mean, my own children have way more than many of my students- shouldn’t I put those students’ needs first? At the end of the day, I have found that being grateful for what I have versus what I don’t have yet guides my self-assurance that I am doing okay in this life regardless of how I choose to divide my time and energy.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Keiller Leadership Academy story. Tell us more about the business.
Keiller Leadership Academy is a charter school that serves its’ community. The mission of KLA is to create student leaders who value quality education and embrace their role as contributing members of our diverse community. We take pride in being a mission-driven school. All our decisions are made collaboratively and are based on our mission.

We have a specific curriculum in place that explicitly teaches leadership and the character building of leaders. We teach students to be critical thinkers, self-directed learners, and cognizant of their actions. We also offer a variety of enrichment and elective courses with the intentions of offering opportunities for students to realize their own unique talents and potential. We have made literacy and math intervention a priority in addressing the needs of all of our students. Our primary grades are Montessori classrooms and our upper grades use the cutting-edge curriculum.

In addition to our Academic Program, we are a Restorative Practice school. We explicitly teach social-emotional skills to our students so that they have the tools and strategies to engage in a peer mediation that follows a conflict-resolution process. Our teachers are trained in restorative practices based on creating and maintaining positive relationships between students and teachers. We do not use referrals, and our disciplinary actions are not punitive- rather they have restored justice between the victim and the perpetrator and/or address the behavior that impedes positive outcomes. Many of our teachers are also certified in teaching and practicing stress reduced mindfulness.

We have monthly morning circles where a new mindful theme is introduced at the start of every month. During these morning circles, we share a “mindful minute,” where students and teachers develop their practice in mindfulness. All students are required to serve at least 5 hours of community service. And in KLA Secondary, every Wednesday, at the last 90 minutes of the day, all students engage in a “Genius Hour,” a time where students hone in on a personal interest and develop their craft and then turn it into a Genius Project- a contribution to his/her community.

As a charter school, we have a lot of structures in place that has been indoctrinated into our charter- which means that the charter drives our mission, regardless of who is in leadership. We have a very specific uniform policy and we have very specific and consistent structures in place that we refer to as our, “KLA Way.” And our teachers are committed to doing whatever it takes to meet the needs of the whole child so that they can become leaders.

I use a lot of my own personal experience when taking in considerations for what is best for my students and families. Having my own children attend KLA has helped me stay grounded. Having empathy and being able to see things from all perspectives has helped when deciding what and why we should prioritize all the unique programs that set us apart from all other schools.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I definitely feel like luck has been on my side. Professionally, opportunities continued to open for me. While I definitely acknowledge that my hard work and commitment to KLA did not go unnoticed, I am still amazed at how doors opened for me. Personally speaking, midway through my educational leadership program, I got pregnant.

I thought it was going to be a roadblock in my career. It ended up enhancing my career. 1) It tested my growth mindset. 2) It taught me to manage my time and energy more efficiently- I was forced to decide what my priorities really were. 3) Being a parent has added a whole new perspective on being an educator.

I feel very lucky to be able to have a career where I can allow my personal life, my professional ambitions, and my personal passions to cross over. My personal well being and my overall happiness and heartfulness is a result of being fortunate enough to blend all aspects of my life to create a beautiful product.

Contact Info:

• Address: 7270 Lisbon Street San Diego, CA 92114
• Website: www.mykla.org
• Phone: 619-263-9266
• Other: www.gofundme.com/klajitterbugs

Image Credit:
Nelson Young, Steve Kim

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