“I really wanted to show my daughter what a woman could do. It was really important for me to show her that we can be strong and independent.” – Brenda Fleer
Sometimes in life you have the pleasure of meeting people that strike you in such a way that you walk away from a conversation feeling empowered, educated, and overwhelmingly thankful. Brenda Fleer was one of those people for me. As the August spotlight for Feature is Female, Brenda Fleer was able to give me a peek behind the curtain of our education system, which, in the end, showed me just how much the people in those buildings care about today’s youth. I’ve always been one to follow my gut, and my gut tells me that Brenda Fleer is right where she was always supposed to be.
Brenda Fleer is in the business of changing lives. As the Principal of Quincy Junior High School, Fleer has been able to shape the minds and change the lives of many of today’s youth year after year, and that is something that she doesn’t take lightly. It was over a quarter of a century ago that Brenda Fleer took her first official steps into the education field. “I started working for Quincy Public Schools in 1998, and I was an English-Language Arts Teacher. I did that for eighteen years, and I absolutely loved every minute of it,” remembered Brenda.
Although her official title was English-Language Arts Teacher, Brenda wasn’t limited to grammar and spelling. During her time in that role, she was able to teach a variety of subjects. “I really taught the gamut. I taught general education, but then twelve years of my career was spent teaching inclusion, or what is most commonly known as co-teaching, so I had a Special Education teacher in the room with me. That, to me, was really some of the best teaching that I ever experienced,” stated Fleer with a smile.
After many happy years in her role as a teacher, Brenda began to shift gears into a new role as the Dean of Students. “As the Dean of Students, I had the opportunity to deal with more of the social and emotional aspects of the kids. There were, of course, disciplinary aspects, but it was really more about teaching the kids,” stated Brenda. “I always tell people that being the Dean was one of my favorite jobs, because at its core, it was me just trying to be a really good parent to kids. I got to teach them but also hold them accountable and give them high expectations for themselves.” Following her tenure as the Dean of Students, Fleer began her transition into administration. After a few different roles working as an administrator, Brenda is now eyeing year number three as the Junior High School Principal this fall. “When the Principal role opened up, it was one of those things that felt almost like a calling. It felt like the natural progression as to what I wanted to do,” said Brenda.
As someone who is responsible for educating children, encouraging her team, and ensuring an entire building runs properly, Brenda Fleer has to tap into her ability to lead others on a daily basis. As for what leadership style she uses, Fleer says she tries to utilize a combination of styles. “On one hand, I try to be a transformational leader in the sense that I try to encourage, inspire, and motivate people to better themselves and make changes and do the things they need. It’s a little like coaching. A lot of people don’t realize that coaching isn’t exclusive to sports teams. Coaching can be a variety of things. It can be anything from coaching teachers on curriculum to coaching students in the classroom,” stated Fleer. “I would also say that I work at being a servant leader. I try my best to serve my kids, their families, and my staff. Being a servant leader is really important to me.”
As a servant leader, Brenda Fleer works hard to not only serve those around her, but to invest in them personally. When it comes to her male counterparts, Fleer states that her interest in her staffs’ personal lives may be the biggest difference in how the two genders lead. “I really value getting to know my staff very personally. I know my boundaries, but I also think it’s really important to know people on a personal level. Some of my male counterparts don’t find that aspect to be as important,” stated Brenda. “I feel like I can more effectively lead my staff when I know what’s affecting them and what’s going on in their lives. We all go through seasons of our lives that are better than others, so sometimes I have to add a little extra support. I do feel like it’s those pieces, as a female, that make me more in-tune to my people and their lives.”
Many people look at being in a leadership role as a happy accident. They’re glad to be in their position, but it wasn’t necessarily something they were working toward. For Brenda Fleer, her road to leadership started on her first day of teaching in 1998. “People ask me a lot when I started to prepare for the role I’m in, and my answer is always the same, August 1998 with my first classroom. My goal was always to be the very best teacher I could be for every single student that walked into my classroom. I wanted them to feel loved, I wanted them to feel respected, and I wanted them to know that even when it was hard, I would be there as their cheerleader,” said Brenda. “I got my Master’s degree pretty early on in my career, but I didn’t necessarily use it right away. I got it in 2004, but didn’t really start to use it until 2016. Part of that was me struggling to understand the why behind the decisions being made in schools. I’m really big on if I don’t understand something, then I need to learn more about it, so I decided to go into administration so that I could learn why people made the decisions they made.”
Much like any industry, education has changed drastically since Fleer first entered the field 26 years ago. What sets Brenda Fleer apart is her well rounded perspective on the changes that are being made to our education system and how they’re affecting students. “I think education had to change over the course of my career due to the way society changed. The lack of a family unit has caused a lot of issues in today’s education. We have a lot of students who get great support from their families, and then we have some students who don’t have that privilege,” stated Brenda.
When the world was shutting down in 2020, our education system was no exception. As teachers, students, and the rest of the world began sheltering in place, it left administrators wondering how they were going to effectively educate students in a completely virtual world. Brenda Fleer recalls that as a time where the education system saw many notable changes. “Covid also changed the landscape of education and how we teach. It wasn’t all for the worse, though. We were able to change some things, and we were forced to change some things that made a difference. I think we often look at how it negatively affected us, but there were some positives that came out of that,” recalled Fleer.
The inquisitive nature of people is another change Fleer has seen to the education system. With the internet waiting and the news always on, people are always ready to question every decision being made. “I think it’s necessary to question things, but I don’t think there is a profession that gets questioned more than education. We are the experts in what we do and have spent a lot of money earning a degree to become the experts, and yet we are constantly being questioned about our expertise. At the end of the day, we’re dealing with human beings. They’re not a product, they’re people, and it’s our job to help shape them,” stated Brenda. “Many people don’t understand that we don’t just go in, read a few books, grade a few papers, and then leave. Our staff is looking at individual kids and figuring out their learning style, because each kid is different. We noticed a big shift after Covid. There were some students that hadn’t gone to school in three years. People are very quick to blame the public schools for problems, but there are so many factors that affect a child’s education, both inside and outside of the school building. We cannot lose sight of that.”
When it comes to those who inspired Fleer’s path to leadership, she’s thankful to have had guidance from multiple people in her life. “From the beginning, my parents have inspired me. From a very young age, they were always there to tell me I could do anything. Maybe it was because I was the middle child, maybe it was because I was the first girl, but my dad was always telling me ‘You can go out there and beat all the boys.’ That was always something that connected with me. I had people that believed that I could do whatever I wanted to do,” proudly stated Brenda. “I would also say that being in sports helped to shape me into a leader, but specifically my volleyball coach, Rosemary Brickman. She trusted me enough to start me as a Freshman, which wasn’t easy, but she had those conversations with me about getting out there, getting my job done, and what the expectation was. I think having all of those people around me constantly encouraging me and believing in me, was crucial to me getting to where I am.”
From working hard to pushing yourself, Brenda Fleer’s advice to the next generation of leaders, is a testament to her ability to be a successful transformational leader. “One of my big things is to work hard, all the time. Something I always tell my daughter is to do things when people aren’t watching. It’s not about recognition, it’s about making yourself better,” Fleer said. “I’m also big on never letting anyone tell you that you can’t, and if they do, use that to push you, and finally, don’t be afraid to have it all. I was a working mom who cooked dinner, took my kids to tumbling and baseball and traveling sports, but I was still able to have my career, and I never lost sight of it and the goals I had for myself. I think I was a better mom by working, so I do think you can have it all, and you shouldn’t be afraid to have it all.”
As a devoted wife and mother, family is the driving force behind everything Brenda Fleer does. “My family for sure motivates me. They motivate me to be the best that I can be,” stated Brenda with a smile.
At its core, Brenda Fleer’s story is all about building connections. As an educator, she’s built connections with students, staff, and parents that have had a long lasting impact on not only them, but on her as well. Throughout her decades-long career, Fleer has never lost sight of herself, her family, or her goals. Her story is truly a testament to the profound impact that passionate and dedicated educators can have on shaping the future.
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