John F. Kennedy High School’s principal, Victoria Wyatt, actually began her journey into education because of an experience with a bad teacher. She was on track to major in psychology in college, but after taking a class with a professor that was more passionate about the textbook they were writing than teaching, she was disheartened. Rather than continue to pursue psychology classes, she went on to take an African American studies class. It was in that classroom that her passion for education began.
“I took an African American studies class and the professor was absolutely amazing. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to impact people the way he impacted me,” Principal Wyatt said. “Dr. Lez Edmond was the professor. He was an all-around educator and spoke to the power of education in a way that made me want to do it.”
After that class, Wyatt switched majors and went down the path of becoming a teacher.
Before becoming Kennedy’s principal at the start of the 2024 school year, Wyatt served students in a variety of roles throughout the Denver area, including special education paraprofessional, social studies teacher, assistant principal and principal. Through these experiences, Principal Wyatt learned the importance of meeting students where they are at.
“We have to adapt to meet the needs of kids. We cannot be complacent with what we know or what we expect. It’s not about us; it’s about the kids that we serve,” she says.
Wyatt encourages those in education to be willing to adapt. “It’s never going to be the same from year-to-year. That’s the beauty of this profession. It makes you grow as a person and as a professional,” she said.
She also encourages current students to get involved in education as professionals. “When you think of the teacher that impacted you the most, whether it was a negative or positive experience, you can frame your career based on that experience. If it was a negative experience, you have the opportunity to change the narrative so that other students don’t have to have to experience what you did. If it was a positive experience, then you can work to develop that skill and create a similar experience for future students.”
In addition to being a principal, Principal Wyatt is also a mother, and she says that motherhood inspires her to be the best educator she can be.
“I want to make sure I’m doing what I expect my kids’ principal and teachers to do. I don’t want to have a standard for the people who serve my kids and not live up to that same standard for other people’s kids.”
Principal Wyatt is optimistic about the future of education and believes that DPS can be a leader in Colorado.
“I hope that for education as a whole we are able to continue to make adjustments based on the kids that we serve. I hope that educators continue to get out of the mindset that education has to be one way. I hope that we continue to create opportunities for every student and meet them where they are at. I hope DPS is able to be a leader of that in Colorado. I think we have everything that we need to do that successfully. Sometimes it’s just a matter of going against the grain and saying that we are going to do it differently because it benefits the kids. It’s all about the kids that we serve, so we need to do what we need to do to help them be successful.”