Becky Frost '05, MA '06, EDL '11

A guidance counselor at Polson Middle School in Madison, Conn. asked a group of seventh grade students, "If you had a problem and needed to talk to a staff member at school, who would you go to?" The majority of the kids answered, "Mrs. Frost."

Becky Frost is a graduate of Quinnipiac School of Education's sixth-year degree program. She recently began a position as assistant principal at Polson Middle School where she oversees the daily operations of the seventh grade students. Her job includes overseeing class scheduling, serving as a resource and coach for teachers, students and parents, communicating and resolving issues, and - most importantly -creating an environment where children feel safe, respected and are able to learn.

"Ultimately, my goal is to connect with children so that they want to come to school," says Frost. "For instance, I just started a lunch time book club. They picked the book 'Life as We Knew It.' Activities like this give me a way to get to know the kids on a personal level and make stronger relationships with them."

It's clear from the response she's gotten from students that Frost has already made big strides. She credits the experiences she had at Quinnipiac for helping her to get there. Frost earned her undergraduate degree in 2005, her MAT in 2006 and her sixth-year diploma in educational leadership in 2011, all from Quinnipiac.

"I'm a QU girl through and through," says Frost with a chuckle. "I looked at other [education] programs and the thing that's different about Quinnipiac is that everything is much more hands on. It's not just reading a book and teaching theory. We were encouraged to go see a school, go see their successes to learn from them. We also did a lot of simulation work. For instance, we learned how to put together an interview panel to hire the right teachers. We also went through scenarios like: you have these five issues on your desk at this moment. What do you tackle now, and what can wait until tomorrow? It was real-world learning and prioritizing, which was invaluable."

Thanks to the connections she has made through Quinnipiac and professionally, Frost feels she has the support she needs to continue to learn and grow as a leader.

"I'm still in contact with my sixth-year program mentor, Beverly Scully," says Frost. "I just called her the other day with a question."

Frost is enjoying her current leadership role. "I'm a listener and a coach. In this position, I'm new, so I'm not looking to make huge changes. I'm trying to build mutual trust. Decisions must be made collaboratively - it must be by consensus from many stakeholders. The bottom line is that we're all here for the kids."