Brooke’s Staying Power

When Katie Lee first arrived at Brooke in 2008, she was searching for someplace she could grow and where collaboration thrived. Since then, she has stepped away a few times to raise her family, pursue graduate studies, and gain experience in other educational settings, but she always feels  pulled back by Brooke’s mission and community.

Now, as the K-2 Assistant Principal at Brooke East Boston, Katie reflects on how mentorship, collaboration, and community have shaped her trajectory. Katie shares the lessons she’s learned, Brooke’s evolution over the years, and why she ultimately decided to return — and stay. 

Katie’s trajectory at Brooke

• 2008-2010: Started as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher at Brooke Roslindale.
• 2011-2012: Came back as a student support teacher at Brooke Roslindale while completing her graduate program.
• 2017-2022: Taught fourth and first grade and served as a student support teacher at Brooke Mattapan.
• 2023-Present: Returned to Brooke in a leadership role, now serving as the K-2 Assistant Principal at Brooke East Boston.

What initially drew you to Brooke?

When I finished grad school, I knew that I wanted to work at a school with a lot of collaboration. Someone I taught with in New York City had started at Brooke and told me to come check it out. After just an hour here, I knew this was where I wanted to be. I joined Brooke Roslindale, which was the only elementary campus at that time, and I was sure it would be a place where I would grow as an educator. 

How has Brooke changed or evolved?

When I started at Brooke, there was just one K-8 campus in Roslindale. Now, with three K-8 campuses, we have cross-network collaboration where teachers have three times as many minds working together, and I think that has brought so much value. 

When I first started, there were not very many teachers who were parents. I’m really grateful for the ways in which principals and assistant principals made it possible for me to have a reduced schedule or figure out a co-teaching model so that I could continue working at Brooke as a parent. 

The overall diversity of staff at Brooke has changed significantly since I first started in 2008. At that time, the teaching staff and leadership were majority white.  Over the past five years, the proportion of Black and Latinx teachers has risen from 14% to 52%. That shift has had such a positive impact on the overall achievement and culture for our schools, students, and families. 

What led you to return to Brooke?

There are pockets of amazing work happening in districts, charter schools, and private schools across Boston. There are incredible teachers in many places–I’ve seen that. But every time I stepped away, I missed Brooke’s supportive culture , where adults are truly aligned in their mission, vision, and values. There’s also a deep commitment to ongoing growth, no matter how long you’ve been doing this work. At Brooke, we have organizational values that don’t just exist on a paper–you see them actively lived out in practice. 

What role has mentorship played in your journey at Brooke?

I’ve learned so much from so many people at Brooke. I could not possibly list them all, but there’s one mentoring relationship that exemplifies the power of mentorship at Brooke: my relationship with Elza Mathieu. In my first year at Brooke, I was teaching kindergarten, and Elza was the associate teacher on our team. I was technically one of her mentor teachers. There were days when we would just sit on the alphabet rug after school, reflecting on the day and thinking about how we were going to move our kids forward. The conversations we had then still come up today when we discuss how to coach our teachers. Now, I have the privilege of working  under Elza’s leadership at East Boston. She has served as a mentor and guide to me as I entered leadership at Brooke–both professionally and as a mom. Our mentoring relationship has come full circle and it has been a gift to be mentored by someone who I deeply respect and admire. 

What are some differences in school culture now compared to when you started?

One major difference is our commitment to the DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging) work. Specifically, the work we have done in alignment with our five-year strategic plan over the last year and a half has been necessary and important as we strive to live out our commitment to being an anti-racist organization. Our staff has become more diverse in many ways over the years, and it has been critical that we are intentional about engaging in this work— ensuring that all of our staff and students are safe, seen, and heard within our community.

This work is hard and takes time, but after 17 years, I feel hopeful in the direction we are moving in. I hope more people continue to feel like Brooke is a place where they can show up as their authentic selves and build relationships rooted in trust and deep care for one another. 

Can you describe a meaningful experience at Brooke that had a lasting impact on you?

One of the most meaningful experiences was  seeing my first group of kindergarteners graduate from Brooke High and watching another batch of my first graders start in middle school this year—alongside two of my own kids. It’s such a special part of being here over the years and maintaining relationships with those students and their families. Those sustained relationships between staff and students, as well as among adults who stay at Brooke for long periods, are incredibly important.

How do you stay inspired and engaged in your work with students?

This one is easy—our kids are so incredible! Brooke students not only achieve at high levels, but also love to learn. Throughout the day, kids stream through my office, excited and proud to show their work or tell me about a new goal they’ve accomplished.

In a world where there continues to be so much division, our kids give me so much hope each and every day. Brooke fosters a community where diversity is celebrated, and our students feel safe to share pieces of their identity with one another. I get to start each day with renewed hope for our world. If that’s not motivation for coming to work every day, I don’t know what is.