Kentwood — Brian Gamm is getting settled as principal at Townline Elementary, where he looks forward to working in a role he cherishes: getting to know young people and helping teachers be the best they can be.
“I love being an elementary principal. It’s the job I feel like I’m on the planet to do. I get to build relationships with staff, students and parents,” he said, adding that he’s a popular guy due to his height alone.
“I get hugs. In elementary, the kids like me just because I’m tall (6 feet, 3 inches). It’s a great self-esteem booster.”
He chatted with SNN about the many other things he loves about being at the helm of an elementary school.
‘Selfishly, being in a room with a master teacher where kids are highly engaged is like my Christmas.’
— Principal Brian Gamm
Other positions you have held in education: Gamm has spent 28 years in education. He was most recently a principal at Nelson and Oakview elementary schools in Muskegon Public Schools and, before that, an assistant superintendent in Coopersville Public Schools.
Prior to those roles, he held several positions at Grand Rapids Public Schools including:
- Upper elementary teacher at Stocking and Burton elementary schools
- Principal at Burton Elementary
- Executive director of school reform and executive director of the elementary division
What about jobs outside of education? “(For a summer job) I worked for IndyCar racing. I drove a truck. It was like working for the circus. … In my truck we had scaffolding or cameras, and me and a bunch of other people would set up scaffolds, and they would put up the cameras and broadcast the races.
“My first job outside of college was for ESPN, as a (production assistant) in their remote production department. On the surface it seemed like a dream job, but I didn’t love it. … I loved sports … but it took a hobby and made it not fun.”
Gamm said he was looking for purpose and making a difference. The idea of “being a teacher kept bubbling up,” so he returned to college for his education degree.
Education/degrees:
Gamm is a graduate of Northview High School and earned the following post-secondary degrees:
- Undergraduate in political philosophy, pre-law, Michigan State University
- Master’s degree and teaching certificate, Aquinas College
- Doctorate in educational leadership, Western Michigan University
What drew you to Kentwood Public Schools and Townline Elementary? “What really attracts me to Kentwood is their embracing of diversity. It is part of their identity. They seek it out. It doesn’t feel like it’s a burden they have to deal with; it’s celebrated.
“At Townline, the staff here have been amazing. … The families have been very warm and receptive, so many smiles. I feel automatically that they have kind of welcomed me in. It just feels really good.”
Why did you want to become an administrator in the first place? Gamm said he spent time teaching as a science specialist for kindergarten through eighth-grade students, and noticed differences in what students were learning depending on whose class they were in.
“I got to witness firsthand over the course of a year what happens when a teacher connects with their class. And I saw on the flipside when teachers and students didn’t connect. I became intrigued with this dynamic of, ‘We don’t produce widgets; we are not a factory.’
“I can’t make every teacher be a robot. I don’t want to do that. But we still know what science and research says about best practices, (and) what a best practice looks like in one room looks totally different in another. I became fascinated with how to find the balance of instilling high-quality instruction across 20 classrooms with 20 totally different individuals as teachers whose ideas and vision about what quality is are different.
“I hate the idea that a child’s education is totally dependent on the teacher they have. There should be this balance: Teachers should have autonomy and flexibility, but there should be these common standards that we all work under.”
The administrator sees the big picture and supports teachers in their work, he said.
“Selfishly, being in a room with a master teacher where kids are highly engaged is like my Christmas. It feels so good to see kids truly engaged, where they feel safe and loved. You can tell the teacher loves being there — there’s just an energy in the room. In my opinion, all kids deserve that.”
What would you like to share about your family? Gamm and his wife Jodie have four adult children: Jade, 31; Lee, 26; Joe, 24; and Claire, 22.
What are three great things about K-12 education?
- The teachers. “We have some of the hardest working, most passionate educators. It’s been a blessing to work with the people I’ve worked with. I never thought I would end up being at four different districts in my career, but to see the common thread of people who care about kids, who aren’t motivated by money, who aren’t motivated by status. They are truly in this line of work to make a difference.
- The students. “It’s hard to be a young person. … The level of perseverance our young people have is amazing. I’m inspired by a lot of our kids. When you hear their stories about what they have to deal with, it’s inspiring. They need the help. They need someone who has their back. To be seen as a person they can go to is very rewarding.”
- The drive to get better. “It’s a double-edged sword. It’s both frustrating and very rewarding, but there’s a consensus that we need to do a better job for our kids and our families, that the system we work in is incomplete. I like being a part of that problem-solving.”
Describe your leadership in seven words or less: “Servant leadership. If the lunch aide isn’t there, I will be doing lunch duty. I have zero problem subbing in a room so a teacher can observe another teacher.
“Everybody is working really hard, so the administrator has a responsibility to show that they are hard-working too, and that they aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and jump right in.”
Dogs or cats and why? Gamm has two cats, Bob and Penny.
“I love those guys. They greet me when I get home. I sit down and you could set a timer for when they jump in my lap. I’m constantly covered in cat hair. I look pretty disheveled, but it doesn’t bother me.”
What is one thing on your bucket list? “Our middle child, Lee, lives in Paris, France, so we have a plan over Christmas break where the five of us (wife and other kids) will go visit him.”
