Happy Women’s Appreciation Month! We are taking this time to celebrate one of our fearless leaders in education, whose leadership and talents help all her students thrive! Vice Principal of Dove Academy, Ms. Shaun Caine talks through her development of leadership and how all her educational experiences have brought her to where she is today!
Growing up just minutes from the building which is now home to Dove Academy, Ms. Caine is a born and raised Detroit resident and holds a BS in Education and a Master of Education with a Major in Educational Leadership from Wayne State University. Before coming to Dove, she immersed herself in the education field by serving as a secretary for nearly 18 years throughout Detroit Public Schools, where she obtained many skills such as strong computer competency and office managerial skills, but most importantly, the importance of quality education and the functions and business of schools and districts.
As an electrical engineering major and with her years of experience within the walls of education, she completed her pre-teaching experience at Wayne State University’s Gaining Options – Girls Investigate Real Life (GO-GIRLS), a program that promotes STEAM opportunity for middle school girls. When asked why she pursued educational leadership, Ms. Caine shares, “My life took a totally different path, but I was still interested in science and math leading me right into education. While continuing my education, I worked and gained valuable experiences at inner-city public schools my whole adulthood. Recalling the years of my career as an educator, the experience of teaching at two turnaround schools in Detroit, provided me the opportunity of witnessing how closing educational gaps and identifying the needs of our students resulted in moving beyond Michigan’s lowest five percent schools. This fuels me every moment!”
Ms. Caine actually learned of Dove through her nephew who had been a student at the school and graduated the year she joined the team. She recalls, “It’s so ironic I ended up working at a school in the neighborhood in which I was born and raised!”
As a leader in education, Ms. Caine takes full pride and responsibility for the role she plays in fostering individual success for all students who grow at Dove. She shares key valuable skills she has learned throughout her professional development in leadership including being vulnerable, thinking outside the box, practicing open communication no matter how uncomfortable it may be, and embracing being a lifelong learner. She continues, “I learned how to actually coach by facilitating and guiding and not by dictating or micromanaging. Rely on the importance of teamwork by utilizing everyone’s strengths (building leaders) and acknowledging areas of opportunity.”
The supportive community of Dove nation has fueled her active drive to support the leadership of Dove and finds deep value in the family-oriented environment where everyone can learn and grow. When asked what she loves most about Dove, she explains, “I love that Dove is a small, tight-knitted school. Everyone knows each other, parents are former students and it’s simply welcoming. Relationships are strong and valued.”
As a mother of scholar-athletes, Ms. Caine is a firm believer and truly depends on teamwork honing in on collaboration, accountability, pride and grit, and is grateful to be a part of those aspects at Dove Academy.
Thank you, Ms. Caine for your leadership and all you do to foster success at Dove Academy!