Cherry Hill West High School’s Principal and Vice Principal, Dr. Burns and Mrs. Esposito, respectively, were interviewed to help the West community learn about the transition from teacher to school administrator. From their start in the industry, to where they are now, the West community gets a look into the lives of their own administration.
Mrs. Heather Esposito, originally a 9th and 11th grade English teacher at West, was also the advisor of West’s very own Lion’s Roar newspaper for 13 years. She also noted, “during my time at West, I became really involved in student voice projects.” From being the Professional Learning Community Coordinator to leading student group initiatives, and later being Cherry Hill School District’s technology coach, Mrs. Esposito has always been an integral part of the modern West community.
Dr. John Burns’ history in the community goes back a little further. He states: “I went through Cherry Hill Public Schools my whole life.” He also worked at Cherry Hill East for a part of his career, working as a science teacher in 2000, then being promoted to a science supervisor in 2005/2006, and eventually rising the ranks to Vice Principal in 2008. He then “came over to Cherry Hill High School West as an assistant principal, in 2017, and then became principal in 2023.”
In the process of becoming an administrator, both Burns and Esposito had a similar route. The experience of being an administrative intern was one they both shared, shadowing school administrators to get a taste of what the life entailed. In fact, once Dr. Burns became West’s Principal, he mentored Mrs. Esposito throughout her administrative internship.
When asked why he wanted to become an administrator in the first place, Burns stated that he liked “having that kind of influence on the school environment.” He also hopes to have a positive long-term impact on the West community as a whole: “I want to leave West better than I found it. That’s always the hope of anybody in any position really, that you leave the place better than what it was when you took on the role.” He also noted, “Sometimes I have students who are struggling in multiple classes and, you’re trying to work with them to see the value in school and education and and helping them find that joy, find their passion that’ll make them want to buy into their time at High School West and and try to get the most out of it. I’ve tried to do that all along the way. I think you spend a lot of time in school, why not try to have it be as fun and interesting as possible?”
Mrs. Esposito “also realized that my experience as a veteran teacher was helping me grow teachers. And, I’m working with people to help them see things that they could do differently on behalf of student achievement.” She loves “being able to work with teachers and share strategies and different methods with the end result of always having an impact on the students,” and her mindset is just this: “this is a craft, this is a passion, this is, at the end of the day, about students being successful.’ I try to keep that in the forefront of everything I do and not get bogged down by the paperwork and the spreadsheets and all of that.”
Both administrators also gave some tips and tricks during their interviews on how to be successful in their respective roles.
Dr. Burns: “It’s really just been the accumulation of all of those experiences in working with students and working with faculty members, staff members, that kind of shapes how I’ve done things and just how I’ve seen other people do things, and how I’ve adopted some of that, made some of it my own, trying to take the good things out of every place or situation that I’ve been in.”
Mrs. Esposito: “I think that to be an effective administrator, you really have to know how to be a good teacher, how to realize that students aren’t just numbers, teachers aren’t just numbers. That at the end of all of this there’s an art and science of teaching.”
Here is some of their advice for anyone looking to make a big career change in their life, such as becoming an administrator.
Dr. Burns: “Listen to the voices around you. That’s really what spurred me is that people have talked to me. I almost say they whispered in my ear. You need to go for your certification. You need to take this position. You need to think about this role…And then when the opportunity comes up, take that step. When I think about it, that’s really what it’s been because I’ve mentioned several different instances where somebody said something.”
Mrs. Esposito: “Even if it feels like you don’t have a lot of time, whether it’s in the morning or at the end of the day, just to think about what were the challenges that you’re facing? What was your mindset? What was in your control? What was out of your control?…And collaborate, but not get caught up in what other people think. So, if you want to do something, if you want to challenge yourself, you want to make a transition, do it because it’s right for you and go into it with a mindset that you’re gonna fail sometimes. You should take risks, but just be your authentic self.”
With their combined history of Cherry Hill West, and their experience in the education field, both Dr. Burns and Mrs. Esposito exemplify the transition from teacher to administrator. Both of these administrators embrace the West Way of kindness, diversity, and legacy, and the West community cannot wait to see what they accomplish in the future.