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Twenty-nine years in education and Winchester’s newest assistant superintendent of elementary education still finds joy in her work.
“There’s nothing better than watching a little child learn something new or say something adorable or working with another child to solve a problem,” said Dr. Heidi Paisner. “It’s so joyful.”
Paisner has stepped into the role left open when Laurie Kirby retired in June. Her first official day was July 28, which Paisner said was a nice start date because it gave her a little room to settle in before the start of the new school year.
And how does one settle into a job aimed at steering one-third of the district’s population through its early education journey? Slowly.
“I had a nice chance to meet people and read things and learn before we really started,” she said.
Paisner said she spent the summer meeting building leaders, curriculum coordinators and teachers, visiting buildings as well as meeting with Kirby, who helped her in the transition and fellow Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Elineema and of course, Superintendent Dr. Frank Hackett.
She said she’s essentially been meeting with “anyone who’s willing to talk to me and teach me, learning from the principals and also reading whatever I can get my hands on, but I still have so much to learn.”
How did she get here
Paisner started her career in New York City as an assistant teacher, then a classroom teacher and she worked in a school for children with disabilities.
“Then I came to Boston,” she said.
Paisner was a classroom teacher and special education teacher before she left for a three-year residency at Boston College in a doctoral program. She called those years a professional gift to herself.
“I got to really be immersed in that world, teaching classes, doing research with amazing people, and learning a ton,” she said.
After her BC stint, Paisner worked as an assistant principal, English learner education director and then for the last seven years was right down the street as a principal in Belmont.
When asked what made her want to make the leap to assistant superintendent, Paisner said it was a couple of things.
“First of all, as you can tell from my career, I love to learn,” she said. “That’s sort of who I am.”
But she was also lucky enough over the last few years to work with a superintendent who gave her multiple opportunities to grow and lead, she said. That experience drew her to instructional leadership, which is where she found a new joy.
“I got to mentor new principals and that was really fun for me, and I kind of believe you should chase your joy,” Paisner said, adding she believes that’s true for everyone from kindergarteners to adults.
Paisner also said that since 90% of her career has been in the elementary school world, those are her people, it’s what she knows.
“I can walk into an elementary classroom and understand what’s going on pretty quickly,” she said. “So this job felt like a really good fit that way too.”
Where she’s going
While much of her focus will be working with elementary principles and curriculum coordinators, Paisner will also likely be part of another major task: a new school project.
The Muraco School is in the early stages of the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s pathway to a new or renovated school. It is the district’s only school that has yet to be overhauled or rebuilt.
Paisner said she has only been on the periphery of an MSBA project, but called it exciting work.
In the meantime, however, Paisner plans to spend some time in schools and classrooms so she can better understand what’s going on, build relationships and see the kids in action, “because that’s what we’re here for.”
Being in the classroom also has one other perk, Paisner admitted. While growing and changing has been a hallmark in her career, she said she never gets tired of the kids.
“I mean, anytime you’re having a bad day, all you have to do is walk into a Kindergarten classroom and everything is so much better,” she said.
Chris Stevens is an award-winning journalist who has spent 25 years chasing, editing and photographing stories on the North Shore. She is the co-founder and managing editor of Gotta Know Medford.
