Читать книгу The New Principal - Margaret Carter - Страница 5

Want to be a successful principal? Knowing the characteristics of your school is step one. In order to be effective, principals must consider an enormous number of factors about their assigned school. It’s tempting, but don’t jump in with both feet before taking the time to think. What will you think about? Think about the reality of your school situation. Not what you remember from when you were in school, or what you wished for and fantasized about or hoped for during your time in graduate school, but what is actually in front of you.

Although you may not have all the information you need on your first day (usually two weeks before teachers arrive), try to get as much information about your school as you possibly can. However, don’t let the time crunch scare you. Each school is unique, although all schools have many things in common. Here are only a few of the basics you should think seriously about and analyze before you choose your furniture and decide on colors for your office.

 What type of school have you been assigned to?

 How large is the staff?

 What other administrative teams are there?

 What kind of neighborhood is the school located in?

 What parent groups are there?

 Is there a staff union?

 What are the sources of income for your school?

 Are there resources that can be accessed?

 How does the school function within the neighborhood?

 Does the school have a history of constant crisis or is it a calm oasis of learning?

Asking and getting answers to these questions (as soon as possible) can lead to success for the new principal. Thoughtful observation and consideration of these questions takes time. But it’s time well spent. Block in time on your schedule just to think. Spending your valuable time being busy with constructing schedules and outlining programs at this point will not lead to success. The successful administrator will calmly and patiently wait for a team of teachers or other stakeholders to help formulate plans and schedules.

Find out who was involved in scheduling during the previous year and try to make contact with the persons involved. You can work with this person or team to set a specific time to plan. Do not try to do it all yourself. Not even a draft. The best thing you can do is jot down talking points, questions, and ideas. Don’t share proposals for change too prematurely. Be cautious with ideas. Word can get around that you “want it this way,” because remember, your team is gathering information about you, too.

It is tempting to do as much as possible “in advance” because there truly is a lot “to do.” This is particularly true in “high-challenge” schools. But unilateral plans, plans that you’ve thought of in your own mind, are failure plans. The school is like a family. In well-functioning families, each member has the other members’ best interest at heart. A family is a closed system. No one is going to come in from outside that family and fix the problems for the family. The principal must find a way to develop or enhance a close relationship with the entire school family or team.

The impact of a principal cannot be underestimated in “high-challenge” schools. As Martin Haberman discusses regarding the principal’s impact, “Recent research has shown that urban school principals have an even greater impact on student achievement than principals in less challenging schools. The constructive direction of a superior school leader is not limited to academics but has far-reaching consequences on teacher performance and turnover. Additionally, many studies argue the positive connection between quality principals and student academic outcomes since principals impact various student outcomes beyond test scores” (Haberman quoted in Stafford and Jackson 2016, 66).

If the administration consists of several assistant administrators, the need for team closeness multiplies exponentially. Dysfunctions within your team will only grow. Your job is to make sure your team stays on the same page, and that you are not unwittingly growing factions.

Conversely, fostering good feelings and developing open communication will only strengthen the team. This is not the time to go along and “tolerate” neutrality or accept lukewarm relationships. There needs to be a virtual love fest among administrators. Go for building unbreakable bonds between the members. Having a willingness to learn from others and an open mind can help a new principal find success and create lifelong positive relationships and even friendships. At the very least, openness and honesty will help avoid the principal developing a negative image.

A negative image, which is often obvious to everyone (but the principal), can make for a very long and frustrating school year. A negative image that goes unaddressed can ruin entire careers in educational leadership. A wise principal will make every effort to learn and keep learning while doing the job. Learn about emotional intelligence or consult with an image expert to help you get a better view of yourself and your interactions with others. With this in mind, spend time considering and analyzing the school situation. Focus on solutions, and remember to bring others along with you. You’ll better enjoy the ride you take, not alone, but with others!

Personal Experience

I had been assigned to a tiny school located in a rural setting. After spending my entire teaching and administrative career in large city schools, I was failing. Big time. I had one friend on the staff. The other teachers were either mad at me for making changes or neutral cautiously because they were new and needed the support of other more seasoned teachers. Almost the entire staff had taught together for many years in this isolated location, and many lived in the immediate area. After three long years of struggle, my supervisor hired two consultants who polled and interviewed the staff. Their conclusion, as one said: “The staff has declared war on you.” That one phrase was a wake-up call I needed.

I immediately began to evaluate my behavior, which was “nice”—courteous but standoffish and dictatorial. Without reading or researching relationships (which I should have done), I started to really listen to people and changed the way I went about my job. No, I was still far from perfect, but this realization changed me and helped me to learn and grow. I had thought I had it all together with my near perfect grade point average, and quickly gaining advancement. I thought I was ready, but I learned that book smart does not equal or overcome people ignorance.

Whatever your assignment, remember, relationships do matter. The job of principal is complex and a huge responsibility, but it is ultimately about people.