A Special Welcome to Chamblee’s New Administrator
Chamblee High School’s special education department just hired Dr. Kirt Hale, a new administrator, filling a previously vacant role. However, Dr. Hale’s career path wasn’t as straightforward as one might expect.
“I’m an artist, believe it or not, and my undergrad was in fine arts. I went to S.C.A.D. here in Atlanta, and I’ve shown in numerous galleries here in the Atlanta area. I specialize in painting oil paintings, and I love doing portrait art,” said Dr. Hale. “I’ve actually been painting all my life. I believe that I was always destined to be an artist and a creator, but I delved into education when the market crashed and art wasn’t selling. Thus, I started teaching then got into education administration.”
With his new career choice in mind, Dr. Hale decided to push his education even further.
“I got my doctorate from Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia, where I studied education administration and wrote my dissertation on using artificial intelligence in special education,” said Dr. Hale.
Upon graduating, Dr. Hale began impacting kids as a teacher but found he could have a greater impact elsewhere.
“I started out teaching in the classroom and then gradually progressed because I wanted to make a bigger impact on students,” said Dr. Hale. “At the classroom level, teachers are allowed to impact a few students at a time, and I wanted my impact to be greater. This motivation led to me choosing a district role.”
Dr. Hale is now the connecting link between multiple parties when it comes to education.
“I’m the lead teacher of special education. It entails me being the liaison between the district, the parent, as well as the school. In short, I’m in charge of all special education here,” said Dr. Hale.
Since Dr. Hale spends most of his time being a mediator between groups, he describes his administrative style as democratic and heavily reliant on teamwork.
“I love to bring everybody to the table to make decisions together as a team. Part of my job is to bring the team together. As I mentioned, I’m a bridge between families, the school, and the district. Therefore, I’m big on teamwork and making decisions in a collaborative effort,” he said.
Teamwork is one of many necessary components of Dr. Hale’s new role as this position comes with a variety of challenges.
“Some of the challenges are staying abreast of special education law, knowing students, knowing student rights, and building a rapport with parents. Some of our parents can be tough, so [being an administrator] is about sort of being a diplomat to parents as well as the school,” said Dr. Hale.
Despite these challenges, Dr. Hale has enjoyed his time here at Chamblee High School so far.
“I love [Chamblee High School]. I love the administration here. I love the kids. I love the athletic department. The faculty has been great. They’ve welcomed me, and I feel like this is my new home,” he said.
However, for this year to be even better for Dr. Hale, he would like Chamblee to broaden its lunch menu.
“I would like to see more vegetarian options on the menu. I’m big on health, and I’ve been a vegetarian for about 15 years now,” said Dr. Hale.
Dr. Hale, while wanting to make a difference himself, wants the students at Chamblee High School to positively impact others as well.
“I would probably say that we as people are defined by how we think about one another. Soon, your individual thoughts or what you think about yourself will die with you, so the important thing is to be kind to other people,” said Dr. Hale. “Just be nice because you never know the impact that you can have on an individual’s life by smiling or saying hello.”
