Chauncey E. Granger was promoted to serve as the principal of Hazelwood East High School in July, and his first priority is to build relationships with students and families.
“We serve a population of disenfranchised families that feel as if when they come in they’re talked at or over their heads, and that trust is tough to gain with families that have always had things that haven’t been working in their favor,” Granger said. “We have to make sure that the families know that we’re here for them; we’re here for the students.”
His outreach to families extends to a willingness to schedule parent/teacher conferences at the students’ homes if their parents can’t make it to the school.
“Because our parents are working hard, they’re working two and three jobs,” he said. “So when they feel like you have their back and it’s not to come in there and disrupt the family, you get more co-operation and participation.”
Granger also has managed to build partnerships with local businesses and non-profits to benefit his families.
“I found it advantageous to do some things that reflect the communities’ needs,” he said. “So I partner with Ameren, where we help educate parents on how to pay their bills in an efficient manner, budget billing, conserving energy so those bills aren’t too high.” He also has partnered with Home Works, a non-profit that facilitates teacher home visits.
Granger’s own journey to leadership in education began with a connection he made with a student. He first landed a job after college (he earned a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from Eastern Illinois University) as a truancy officer with the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education in Bellville. “I was chasing kids trying to get them in school,” he said, “and that opened an opportunity.” He was offered a position as a teacher’s assistant. It was a career-defining moment.
“I was helping this kid with some math, and I figured out a way that related to him where he could kind of get it,” Granger said. “So he wrote me a powerful letter that stated how he remembered the experience, he appreciated my help, and I never had feedback on a job like that. And it meant so much to me.”
His next position in the field was in Chicago Public Schools, working his way while he studied in an alternative certification program for special education. This solidified his interest in educating youth in the public schools by showing them how education is relevant to their lives.
He challenged his students: “If you could tell me a job that you don’t need to know how to read, I’ll give you 50 bucks.” That, he said, was “making instruction relative to students’ lives and meaningful – showing that application piece on how they’re going to need these skills that we are teaching them. Because if not, they’re meaningless lessons to them.”
He came home and worked as an assistant principal at Beaumont High School in St. Louis Public Schools and served as the principal at Hazelwood Southeast Middle School for six years before being promoted to his current leadership position. He also works as an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University’s North County location.
He is finding leading a high school to be a good fit compared to his middle school principal position.
“What’s cool about high school is kids are literally going from childhood to adulthood in a short amount of time, and I get to see them out in the community working with families in the next couple of years or in college,” he said. “That experience is awesome, because you can see your impact quicker than at the middle-school level.”
Throughout it all, Granger remained a student himself. He earned a master’s degree in Special Education at Saint Xavier University and a doctorate degree in educational leadership at the University of Missouri. “As a lifelong leaner,” he said, “I wanted to continue to exercise my muscle, my brain, and do the best that I can do.”
Clearly, his district noticed by recommending him to the St. Louis American Foundation to be saluted for his excellence in education. He is no stranger to the Salute gala.
“I’ve been in the audience a few times, and some of the people that have been honored I’ve had the pleasure of working with them and I’ve admired them myself,” he said. “So even to be honored in this way is huge for me.”
