Twenty years teaching at Isom prepares Tim Doering for principal role

Tim Doering knows Isom Elementary well. As a 20-year classroom veteran at the school, teaching third and fifth grade, he’s invested in countless students. He’s also become a teacher-leader over the last few years, helping to speed the growth of fellow instructors.

He’ll have the opportunity to focus on everyone in his new role as Isom principal, which started July 1. 

“I just so enjoyed investing in the potential of kids in the last 21 years here at Lynden,” Doering says. “The last number of years as a teacher-leader and investing in adults as well showed me I would love to see that work continue. I feel this is the point in my life, with the way the classroom experience has been so amazing, that I want to replicate that with the adult experience.” 

Doering says he will focus on growing the collaborative learning from staff — roughly 24 classroom teachers and about 50 total staff, including para educators, specialists and more — something the district has put on the right track, but an area he’d like to see Isom get even better at. 

“Throughout his time at Isom, he has distinguished himself as a master teacher and participated in a variety of professional development opportunities as well as serving in numerous roles and as a teacher-leader,” says Jim Frey, superintendent. 

Having been so rooted in the classroom, Doering says he’s seen just about every kind of kid roll through the school and tried a lot of different learning experiences over the years. “I have seen my growth as an educator during that time period and I think I can leverage that in leading other adults,” he says. Having had professional and personal ups and downs over the last two decades and knowing the importance of colleagues challenging him and collaborating with him at all times gets him excited to help build that same culture at Isom.  

But serving in the new role of principal also provides a challenge. “I have always thrived as people stretch and push on me and it brings out the best in me,” he says. “I think I am pretty much extra excited about everything and am excited that this will stretch me.” 

Isom Elementary, one of three K-5 schools within the district, has an enrollment of approximately 515 students.