From “Gotcha” to “We Rise Together”: A Call for a Leadership Mindshift in NYC Schools
In too many corners of the New York City Public School System, an outdated and toxic leadership style continues to dominate, the Gotcha mentality. It’s a style rooted in fear, control, and punitive accountability, where school leaders wait in the wings, not to support, but to catch. And then we wonder why our schools are struggling.
How can we expect our schools to be innovative, collaborative, student-centered spaces that prepare young people for global citizenship when leaders are still operating from a place of mistrust and “gotcha” visits? I’ve seen firsthand how damaging this approach can be, not just to individual educators, but to entire school communities.
Let me share a moment that still stays with me.
It was October, and we had just rolled out our brand-new 3K program. Like any new initiative, we were learning and building in real time, creating a nurturing, play-based environment for our youngest learners. One day, my superintendent arrived at my school unannounced. She said she was “in the neighborhood” and wanted to say hello. But I knew better. This wasn’t a friendly drop-in. It was a Gotcha visit.
She knew full well that our 3K program was new. The children were only three years old, and that, in her mind, made the program ripe for critique. So, under the pretense of a casual check-in, she smiled and said, “Let’s go visit your 3K classrooms.”
What she walked into surprised her.
Children were engaged, joyful, and learning. Teachers and teaching assistants were on the floor with students, immersed in play, language, and exploration. The environment was calm and alive with curiosity. No one even noticed we had entered the room, that’s how present and in-sync the team was with the students.
Clearly caught off guard, she quickly pivoted to her next strategy.
“So, where are they up to in the curriculum?” she asked, ready to pounce.
I smiled and said calmly, “We’re piloting an emergent curriculum that’s designed around student interests and skill needs.”
She blinked, unsure how to respond.
The moment unraveled her Gotcha plan. But here’s the kicker, later that evening, she called me to ask if I would present our curriculum model at the district town hall. Only, instead of calling it “Emergent Curriculum,” she kept referring to it as “Immersion Curriculum.”
This moment speaks volumes. It’s not just about one visit or one leader, it’s about an entire culture of outdated leadership that stifles innovation and fails to understand the very practices they are supposed to support. And when leadership operates from a place of fear or ego rather than curiosity and partnership, entire districts lose.
A Mindshift is Not Optional—It’s Urgent
Throughout my tenure as a principal, if there is one key factor I would credit for the transformative change we achieved, it’s this mindset: If you fail, then I failed. That belief guided every interaction, every support plan, and every coaching conversation. It shaped our school culture. It reminded me, and my team, that we were in this together. My teachers weren’t working for me, they were working with me. And I was working for them, too.
That belief shaped everything. I saw myself not as a boss, but as a builder, of people, of systems, of culture. My role was to develop and support my staff, not to catch them off guard. I didn’t wait for failure to show up, I worked alongside my team to prevent it. And when things didn’t go as planned, we problem-solved together.
We need more leaders willing to ask themselves the hard questions:
Have I set clear expectations?
Have I provided differentiated support to meet individual staff needs?
Have I created an environment where trust is stronger than fear?
Have I modeled the grit, dedication, and openness I expect from my team?
If the answer is no, then we must be willing to own that. We must hold ourselves to the same level of accountability before pointing fingers at others.
Leading with Purpose, Not Power
Imagine what our schools could become if every leader committed to this shift. If instead of watching for mistakes, we were looking for opportunities to coach. If instead of isolating educators through blame, we empowered them through trust. If instead of “Gotcha,” we said “I’ve got you.”
Our students deserve schools led by visionaries, not disciplinarians. By moving from a Gotcha mentality to a We Rise Together philosophy, we can begin to transform our schools into thriving communities of learners—students and adults alike.
This is not just a call to action, it’s a call to leadership evolution. Our schools cannot afford to wait. Leadership is not about control, it’s about connection. We need a collective commitment to shift from “Gotcha” to “We Rise Together.” Only then can we create the kinds of schools our students deserve: places of innovation, safety, and boundless possibility.
It’s time to evolve. Our schools cannot afford anything less.