Sean Graney is the new assistant principal for 7th grade at Howard L. Goff Middle School. Mr. Graney spent the first seven years of his career as a social studies teacher. In His previous role he served as an assistant principal at Bethlehem High School where he oversaw academic progress, attendance, and student conduct for juniors and seniors.

We sat down with Mr. Graney to discuss his new role and responsibilities.

Q: How’s the job going so far?

It’s good. I’m coming from working in a high school, so middle school is an adjustment for me especially when it comes to programming. I’ve been immersing myself in getting to know Goff. Everybody’s been really welcoming and friendly, and I’ve gotten to know a lot of the staff so far. I’m just really excited to get the kids in here and get started.

Q: What are some of your job duties?

I’m going to be the assistant principal for seventh grade, the building safety supervisor, and will be in charge of master scheduling. As an assistant principal I’ll be involved in the daily operations of the building, including discipline and supervision. On top of that I will make sure the schedule is effective for all the students. As the building safety supervisor I will make sure everybody’s safe here and our students, faculty, and staff, have a pleasurable experience.

Q. Why did you want this job?

I was a previously a high school teacher. The opportunity to come back to work in the middle school with that age group was appealing to me. I liked working with them as a principal in a previous role, and when I saw this opportunity come up, I thought I really want to challenge myself and give myself a broader perspective of education. I think I really understand working in a high school, and now I want to understand the middle school better.

Q: How have your career experiences prepared you for this position?

This will be my fourth year in administration. I’ve been a building principal, and I’ve also been an assistant principal for the past two years. Last year, I really felt like I had a strong understanding of the role and what was expected of me. As I start my fourth year, I feel like I’m really coming into my own as an administrator. I think having that foundation of being a teacher, understanding students and their needs, and then building on that experience through my time in administration is going to set me up well.

Q: What do you enjoy about working in education?

The number one thing, and it’s always been this, is that every day is different. We work with students who are trying to figure out who they are in the world. They’re growing up, maturing, and they’re going to they have obstacles, to work through. A lot of my job is responding to spontaneous situations and that keeps me challenged. I also really enjoy working with kids especially at the middle school level. I think it’s a time where we can try to give them the best school experience possible. If we can do that in the middle school, then I think that transitions really well to the high school where things become more independent. The two biggest things for me is every day being different,  I love working with kids, and I love helping them.

Q: Is there anything that you’re really excited about with this new position?

I’d probably say the number one thing that I’m really excited about is when I was applying over here, I had so many people tell me how great this district is, and how great specifically the the middle school is here. I worked with a lot of people who lived here, who have either have had kids come through here or currently have them coming through here, and they have had nothing but great things to say. Everybody’s really, really great. I’m really excited to be part of a well-respected district.