I just believe that , as a leader , you should be accessible to your students , your staff members should feel comfortable to approach you and to talk to you about anything , and I think that I have achieved that .”
Using her experience as a student , Dr . Smalling deviates from the norm where students would go to the principal ' s office , either if they were an outstanding student or in big trouble . Instead , she changed that narrative , becoming more accessible . “ I just believe that , as a leader , you should be accessible to your students , your staff members should feel comfortable to approach you and to talk to you about anything , and I think that I have achieved that .”
In 2014 , Dr . Smalling became the Principal at Glenmuir High School . She describes her journey from a student at Glenmuir to becoming its Principal as “ a humbling experience , and an honor ” to serve her alma mater . For her , the best part of being a Principal is the satisfaction she gets pouring into others and believing in her students and staff . “ You give it your all , and you see them grow and blossom into beautiful people and exemplary professionals .
Marsha ’ s impact has been “ life-changing ,” including instances that required her intervention . In a couple of cases , she talked students down from self-inflicted harm . She makes herself reachable and relatable . “ I sit under a tree or in my office and reason with them . They open-up to me , and I listen to understand , not to judge or reprimand . I demonstrate empathy .” Her students have become comfortable visiting her office and talking to her about the challenges that they ' re having as well as providing suggestions for growth of the school .
Dr . Smalling reminds us that “ sometimes we underestimate the capabilities of our students ", and believes that these pupils are fully capable of running the school . “ They have brilliant ideas , and she is fully committed to “ giving them a chance to grow , because , it ' s always their experience , that we are forming , and it is going to help us to keep refining whatever it is that we ' re doing to form them .”
The confidence of her students in her , and her desire to reach more students , gives Dr . Smalling the added “ reason to keep fighting an illness like lupus . ” She explains that she would love to know the names of each one of her students , but with 1600 students under her supervision , it is extremely difficult to do that . Instead , she has developed “ a secret method ” for being able to identify each one , “ because it makes a difference when you call a student by their name .”
According to her students , she is indeed having an impact . Some believe that her influence on them is unmatched , while others admire her open-door policy and unwavering support . Kymani Gayle , one of Glenmuir ’ s Head Boys and Sargent of Arms for the Cadet Unit , shared , “ I believe that Dr . Smalling is genuinely an empowering woman . As our Principal , she supports all her students and truly wishes the best for each of us . Two years ago , just before our CSEC exams , she prepared individual tokens with words of encouragement for each of the 200 + of us sitting exams .” Echoing those sentiments , Rhaveen Kildare , Head Girl of Glenmuir High School , shared , “ Dr . Smalling is passionate about the holistic development of students through their involvement in extracurricular activities . She ensures that while we are striving to attain excellence academically , opportunities are provided for honing our skills and talents ; we are provided with a plethora of avenues for self-expression .” Yet , despite all the joy and satisfaction of being a principal , it is not without challenges . For Dr . Smalling , “ it ' s balancing paper and people , where the system is designed in such a way that paper overshadows people .”
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