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Q&A with Dr. Milton Ruffin, Principal at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center
In celebration of National Principals Month, we sat down and talked with Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center Principal Dr. Milton Ruffin to gain some insight on the impact principals make each day.
Q: How long have you been with CCS? How long have you served as a building leader? In education?
A: I have been with Columbus City Schools my entire 31-year career and 21 years as an administrator.
Q: What are the most important decisions you make as a school or district leader?
A: How to balance getting things done and establish accountability but being a human being that needs to be flexible with people both students and staff.
Q: What is your proudest moment or accomplishment as a school leader?
A: Receiving a GRAMMY Signature School Award and hosting President Obama at Fort Hayes.
Q: What motivates you personally and professionally?
A: I am personally motivated by accomplishing rather than accomplishments.
Q: Describe a student that you have worked with in the past who has demonstrated resilience and tenacity.
A: There is a student that I had not seen for nearly 20 years who wrote on Facebook about a conversation we had when I told him "extraordinary results require extraordinary effort-success is not an accident" and he remembered that and now has adopted that as a life mission for he and his family.
Q: What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
A: The work is difficult and rewarding, and when you get tired and feel like quitting, just remember why you started.
Thank you for all you do, Principal Ruffin!
National Principals Month runs through October 31.