Jennifer Caine sat down at her desk with a Hickman cup in front of her, a Kewpie banner hanging behind her and the sun streaming in through the window.
She is the newest assistant principal at Hickman; she brings with her many experiences from positions she has held throughout her life.
Caine’s first, and dream, job was a surgical nurse. She received her Bachelors in Science of Nursing from the University of Central Missouri. However, her priorities changed when her second daughter was born three months premature.
Caine transitioned from surgical nursing to at-home nursing for her daughter. When her daughter went to early childhood schooling, Caine worked as a speech therapist in her daughter’s school.
She fell in love with teaching there and later worked as a PE teacher, health teacher, coach, and athletic director at Oakland and Rockbridge. She then worked as an assistant principal at Eugene Field Elementary School before coming to Hickman this year.
There is a tradition of education in Caine’s family; her father was a teacher, principal, and coach. Caine said that her father was “one of the greatest impacts on my life, [he] was an educator. He was an English teacher, basketball coach and a principal.”
Like many, Caine looked up to her father when she was growing up. Caine says, “Growing up, I guess my dad was my hero. He’s by far the strongest man I’ve ever known, and I was a daddy’s girl and a lot like my dad too. So when I got an opportunity to get to be in education, and we shared that bond, it became really special and unique.”
Caine thinks one of the most important parts of her job is building relationships with students. Caine said that this was inspired by her father: “He inspired me to put my time and energy into developing those relationships with kids.”
Building these relationships can have great impacts on students. Caine revealed that when her father passed, “seeing that number of people came back [for the visitation] because of the relationships that he had developed with kids…That was one of the most profound moments of my educational career. And I want to make sure when I leave education, or I am no longer on this earth, that my legacy is that great, and that it was that impactful.”
As she looked toward the window sill, and the frame sitting there, Caine said she “keep[s] his picture in my office. I look at it when I have hard days and I just say ‘okay, I’m trying. I’m really trying to be like you, really trying to do the things that you’ve talked to me about.’”
Caine uses the lessons that she learned from her father every day. She strives to make students feel like they have someone looking out for them and advocating for them.
Caine wants students to know that going to her office is “a good thing. I’m going to talk to you like you’re a person, I’m going to build a relationship. I want to get to know where you’re at, and what’s going on, and where you’re coming from.”
Dean Leslie Lewis, who works in the same office as Caine, stated that Caine “is just overall, a strong leader, and she’s quick to speak up and advocate for whoever needs that.”
The door to the East Office is always open for students. Caine is here to “help in any way that I possibly can.”