Milby HS alumna plans to lead her old school one day

In this week’s I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other members of Team HISD, Milby High School Assistant Principal Charlotte Harris talks about what spurred her to learn another language, why she’s so passionate about serving the Milby community, and which former assistant principal she still considers a mentor today.

You’ve been at Milby High School since 2002, first as a teacher, later as a Title I coordinator, and now as an assistant principal. Why are you so dedicated to serving this particular community?

This is the community I grew up in. I learned how to be an adult here, as well as a good student in college, an excellent teacher, and a good administrator. I feel like Milby has given me so much that I’m obligated to give back.

I truly, truly care about this community. We’re a big family here. Anyone who comes into my office, I want them to feel that. Sometimes we have to discipline family members, but they know the next day, they’re still a part of it. I may push you to do better, but I will help you up when you fall down and applaud you when you accomplish things.

Besides, I know where these kids are coming from, because I was right there. I know what it means to go to lunch but not be able to eat because you don’t have the money even for the reduced-price lunch. I know what it’s like to want to participate in after-school activities but not have the bus fare to get back home.

I’m also an example. I’m living proof that with hard work and dedication, you can be anything you want to be. The kids get to see what I’m doing every day. And in my office, I have all of my degrees up on the wall, and kids are always amazed to see my high school diploma there, too. But at the time, that was a major accomplishment.

Those degrees also open up conversations with students, like about “What’s a bachelor’s,” or “What’s an MBA,” and “What’s the difference?” And they get to see that it all started with a high school diploma from Milby.

You started working at Milby just a few years out of high school. Did you always want to be an educator? If not, how did your path lead you here?

I graduated in 1999, but I was confused in college as to what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. At one point, I thought I wanted to go into accounting; at another, I thought I wanted to be a teacher. Finally, I decided that I wanted to be a school counselor, so my major ended up being psychology.

Then I discovered you had to teach for two or three years to become a counselor, and I was sad because I thought that meant I had to teach elementary, because there was no psychology content area that I could be certified in. Then I found out I could teach social studies, since psychology is considered a social science, so I kind of fell into history.

I understand you’re also a graduate of Milby. What’s it been like, walking through the halls of your old school as an adult?

Well, I will tell you that on my first day, I was walking into school to get to my class early and a teacher kicked me out of the building, thinking I was a student. Then a few days later, I went into the teacher’s lounge to heat up my lunch and I got kicked out for the same reason. But I understand where they’re coming from. I looked really, really young when I was in college, and once I set them straight, they had that ‘a-ha’ moment.

It has been different, though. I remember walking the halls the first year and reminiscing. But the beauty of it is that when I had questions, I could still go to my former teachers and ask for advice, even if they weren’t in the same discipline. They were more willing to help me and they taught me how to be a better teacher.

I hear you learned to speak conversational Spanish in order to better serve your students and their families. Why was that important to you? And are you fluent now?

I’m not fluent to the level where I could be an interpreter, but I can hold a conversation. I actually started learning Spanish when I attended Milby so I could talk to my friends. Spanish is such a rich language that I just fell in love with it. I continued my studies at UH, but a lot of times in classes, you learn the book side of it, so I had to have conversations with my best friend, Sandra Arredondo, who’s an AP in Galena Park ISD.

In order to really help a community, you need to know the language and the culture. It shows a sense of respect, that you have something in common. Even if I don’t understand every single word, parents know that I get the gist of it and it puts them at ease. They feel more comfortable and confide in me more, so I’m able to help them.

Wait. Was Sandra one of your classmates at Milby?

Yes. We met here in the tenth grade, and we went through UH together. She was in my wedding and I was in hers. I tried to get her to come be a co-assistant principal with me here at Milby, but she loves Galena Park, and she’s doing well there.

Still, I’m not the only person who has come back. We have coaches, clerks, tutors, and also family members who graduated from here. This is a place where people send their children because it’s a tradition. And there’s an expectation that when I have kids, they’ll come here, too. They don’t have a choice. (laughs)

Your principal, Roy de la Garza, jokes that you are just “waiting for him to die” so you can take his job. Is there any truth to that?

(laughs) Yes. My former principal, Richard Barajas, he was my mentor, and a father figure to me. He was actually my assistant principal when I was still a student, and he taught me everything I needed to know and pushed me into leadership roles, so I’m really grateful for that. One time I told him, “Mr. Barajas, when you retire, I’m taking your position.” I just didn’t expect him to retire so soon! Roy is great, though, and very compassionate, so that’s good. I want to make sure Milby’s in good shape for when I take it over.

Do you have any hidden talents? Tell me something about yourself that would surprise people if they knew it.

I used to be really, really shy, and then I joined this drama team in church. I was really, really terrible, just horrible, so they only gave me tiny little parts where I only had to say like one word or something. But then, my senior year, I started to come out of my shell a little, and blossom in drama. I began to get lead roles. I also used to rap at church. I was in a rap group and we had a little routine.

If you know a graduate, student, employee, or other member of Team HISD who should be featured here, please email us at info@houstonisd.org.