LYNN– Glenda Colon is the first Latina/female principal in the City of Lynn. She has been the principal of Connery Elementary School, 50 Elm St., since 2019 and says her passion for education was greatly influenced by her experiences moving to Revere from Puerto Rico as a child.
Colon moved to Revere when she was in the first grade. She didn’t know any English when she and her sisters began their education at the old Paul Revere elementary school. At the time, Colon said that there was no English as a Second Language (ESL) program, noting that she and her sisters were some of the only Latina students at the time.
This lack of diversity and access to ESL left Colon relying on her eyes to watch and learn how schooling worked in her new home. She said that a lot of people don’t realize how the geography of schools in Puerto Rico is so different from the ones around here, noting that her school in Puerto Rico was like a college campus or a strip mall, allowing a lot of access to the outdoors.
“On the first day of school I remember the teacher saying something, but I had no idea what she was saying,” she said. “I saw all of the kids getting up and shuffling over to get their lunch bags, so I thought “great it’s lunchtime.” I went and put on my coat and my backpack, ready to go home, because in Puerto Rico, you can go home for lunch.” She said she remembers the whole class turning around and laughing at her.
Colon remembers this as such a transitional moment that led to her just trying to copy what people did to try to make up for the language barrier.
Colon said that she and her older sister were eventually put into a makeshift ESL program, which was held in a storage closet, and said that her interest in becoming a teacher began around this time. She identified her family as a good example of the families and students that she now works with at Connery.
“My sisters and I talk so much about our experiences in school, and how parts of it were challenging and useful to the work we are in today,” she said. Colon has two sisters, both currently working in higher education.
Colon shared that one of the things that shaped her as an educator was her economic struggles growing up.
“I am for sure the model of a child who stood in line at food pantries with her mother, who had been impacted by alcoholism and abuse in the home, so there are a lot of things that I think we forget that many of our children and families are holding onto and dealing with daily.”
When her parents got divorced, Colon said that her mother always reiterated the importance of getting an education and working to be an independent woman.
“She really instilled a lot of feminist values on her daughters,” she said. “She taught us that we have to be leaders and that we have to do for ourselves, and through our lives we did for each other as well.”
Acting as a translator for her mother, Colon remembers making calls and doctor’s appointments on her mother’s behalf, which she said ultimately prepared her for adulthood and being on her own.
Throughout her career in education, Colon said that she wanted to dedicate her time to advocating for families that looked like her, which led her into leadership roles.
“It’s always been interesting for me growing up because I always felt like I wasn’t necessarily a part of the group that I thought I belonged to,” she said. “Except for in education, I just love learning.”
Colon said that it was hard sometimes to always have a voice as a leader, but noted that it was always other women who pushed her to be in leadership roles.
“I probably wouldn’t have been in leadership roles if it wasn’t for the women along my journey,” she said.
She remembers not always feeling confident in her position, but having colleagues and friends pushing her out of her comfort zone and forcing her to grow.
Colon credits Salem’s previous superintendent, Margarita Ruiz, for empowering her.
“She would tell me all the time, “Glenda, you can do this, you can lead.”
When talking about struggles of being a woman, Colon said they were definitely present.
“You look around in the leadership roles, and a lot of leaders, at least for a longtime in my old District, were white, male men,” she said.
She noted that many of the men were touted as the strongest leaders, but said that she witnessed a lot of female leaders around her that didn’t get that kind of recognition.
When she began working for the Lynn Public Schools in 2019, Colon said that she was happy to finally be surrounded by female leaders, which was a good celebration.
She encourages women to expand their world, saying that so much doubt is internal.
She remembers Ruiz telling her “we own this, as a Latina and a woman in a leadership position, you can do this and you have to stop telling yourself otherwise.”
Colon said that in her view, society makes women feel as if they can’t be vulnerable and open, which, she said, often makes women feel like there are things they shouldn’t do.
“I want everyone to be vulnerable,” she said. “I want everyone to be willing to share.”
Colon identified her approach in leadership as focusing on actively connecting and engaging with the families, while also focusing on loving and embracing her community.
