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Kristofer Swett

"Follow Your Bliss"

My passion is for the alternative. Making sure schools can better serve different students' needs, my life's work is to create alternative educational models. Conventional schooling is falling by the wayside and technology, and a global community becomes our new reality. We cannot teach the students of the future with the ways of the past.

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BA: California State University: Chico

MA in Education with Distinction: California State University: Chico

Ph.D. in Education (In Progress): The George Washington University

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I am a Northern California native and the son of an elementary school teacher/union leader. I am described as restless and always full of new ideas. My path to becoming a principal was not a straight journey. I have a Political Science background from CSU Chico. I began my adult life as a Bartender and Manager of a Michelin rated restaurant in rural Northern California. I then became a high school teacher, teaching mostly Social Studies with a smattering of English, Math, Independent Study, and Physical Education. I love being with students and challenging them to think. They showed their appreciation for me by selecting me as Teacher of the Year.

 

Talking to people and making them at ease was always one of my strong suits. When I went back to teaching in 2009, I found a home at an alternative education setting, a Continuation High School for students who struggled in conventional high school. When the former principal decided to retire, I was tapped by her and the whole staff to take over. I finished my masters and Administration Credential from CSU Chico and stepped into the role three days after my wedding. Luckily my wife is a teacher and very understanding.

 

Being in the service industry taught me the management and communication skills that are crucial to my current position as a high school principal. My wife and colleagues often say I think many steps ahead of those around me. I have used my communication and people skills to bring about significant changes to my current site. After creating a successful Middle College High School on our Community College campus - I decided to make another change by creating a new school-wide program out of the existing continuation school in my district. As a site, we transitioned from a credit recovery program (where students were “sent” ) into a school chosen by students and families. My students investigate their interests and invest in our community by completing internships in areas they might want to pursue after graduation. We used and implemented a model to help make my high school in Ukiah, CA, a functioning and successful alternative to conventional secondary schools. I am also the owner of A Plus Frontiers educational consulting and the host of RevolutionEd, a podcast about Alternative Education. I live in Northern California with my wife, three children, and menagerie of animals.

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