|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||
 |
Volume 3, No. 1
Winter/Spring, 2009 Exclusively online at
www.EducationHall.com
Ticking Clocks and Culture Shock:
A first-year principal's saga Phoenix, Arizona, and Laconia, New Hampshire, are roughly 2,700 miles apart. It may as well been 10 million miles! After spending the last 15 years in Arizona, our family felt it was time for a change. Leaving the educational system I had known for the past 11 years, adding a new member to our family, and becoming a first-year principal was more of a challenge than I had bargained for. At the end of this tumultuous year, I took stock of all of the changes of the last ten months and how I grew as an administrator. I had been employed for the previous 11 years in a large, urban K-8 district in Phoenix, Arizona. I spent eight of those years as a teacher in the 5th and 6th grades, two years as a dean of students in one of the district’s four middle schools, and my final year in the district as an assistant principal in another middle school. After the birth of our first child, my wife and I began thinking of moving to a smaller town to raise our family. We had both grown up in smaller towns, she in Connecticut and I in Minnesota. We took the plunge at the end of my 11th year, setting our sights on relocating to New Hampshire. It was the small town setting we were looking for, so we headed east. It was truly a leap of faith for us. I had no job, my wife was pregnant, and our car only had half a tank of gas, but we were determined to make it work. As luck would have it, after interviewing for an assistant principal position in an elementary school, the principal told me she thought I was better suited for the open position of principal in another elementary school in the district. Although I felt I lacked the experience, I did apply. Lo and behold, I became the new principal of Elm Street School in Laconia, New Hampshire. Welcome to the principalship So, here I was. I had gone from an assistant principal at a middle school of 1500 students in urban Phoenix, Arizona, to being a principal of 316 elementary school students, pre-K to 5, in rural Laconia, New Hampshire. I had been part of a team of four administrators at the middle school and was now the lone administrator of a building. Most of all, I left a system of which I had been a part for eleven years. It was a known commodity. I now was an administrator in a new and unfamiliar system, and in a different state to boot. I even had to go from a Mac to a PC! With all of these changes, the two biggest obstacles to overcome were the initial culture shock and the speed at which the year comes at a building principal. I was amazed at how different school systems could be and yet how similar we all are. I know part of the shock was moving from a middle school to an elementary school. I had taught in an elementary school, but my administrative experience was in middle school. Disciplining elementary school students is quite different than disciplining middle school youth! Budgets were done differently. Personnel processes for hiring were different. The amount of support from central office was different. District initiatives were different. Programs differed from place to place. Curriculum differed slightly, but that was the least of the differences. Beyond the nuts and bolts of the job, there was a vast dichotomy in the place the school holds in an urban vs. rural setting. There seems to be more of a focus on community in a smaller town, where the school is the focal point with the principal at the helm. It seemed true to a lesser degree in a large city. I am not saying schools in large cities cannot foster a sense of community. In my experience, smaller communities are closer knit than larger cities and the schools take on that trait. Educational philosophies of each school district differed as well. A complete focus on test scores was replaced by a focus on the whole child. The social, emotional, and physical well being of a student was held in just as high regard as the academic growth. Yet with all of the differences, I found myself in a very familiar situation. In both Phoenix and Laconia, the schools at which I worked were labeled in need of improvement. Both schools also have a significant population of low socioeconomic students who are struggling with reading and math. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Where does the time go? After weathering the culture shock, the school year took off like a shot. I was amazed at how fast time passed and how little I felt was getting accomplished. Meetings seemed to pop up everywhere. Considering myself an organized person, I was frustrated by what felt like my lack of organization. It seemed like I was just keeping up with what needed to be done. This year New Hampshire had an extremely snowy winter. This was fortunate for me as I was able to use snow days very effectively! Before I knew it, we were turning in keys on the last day of school. The one bit of advice I would like to impart is to make sure you take time for yourself and your family. This is a “don’t do as I do, do as I say” because I was not very good at following my own advice. Our second child, Samantha, was born in October. I took very little time off -- maybe two or three days. I quickly found the time commitment of a principal is huge. I would work late and arrive early because I needed that time to get things done. I worked some on the weekends. There were evening and community functions to attend. My family time dwindled, and I had some health concerns for myself. What we started doing was on the nights I had to stay late, my wife would bring the kids in to school and we would have dinner together on cafeteria trays with milk cartons and sporks. This helped on those nights I would get home too late to see the kids off to bed. Fortunately, there aren’t too many nights like that. It was a small thing that made a big difference -- for me as well as my children. The balancing act of work and personal time was again a big challenge. I believe you become more efficient as time goes on. I certainly hope that is the case. If anyone has an answer to the question of too little time and too much to do, I’m all ears. A steep learning curve It truly was a learning year, and there were many things I took away from my first year as a building principal. Organization is paramount. For me, it had to be taken to a whole new level. I tried a number of organizational tools to find the one that best fit me. It seemed that my desk calendar was where I kept returning and so I am creating a master calendar. My first purchase was a large magnetic year-long calendar white board. My thought was to map out the entire year so that nothing would sneak up on me -- or at least much less than seemed to this year. Everything will be on this master calendar from assessment dates, to school concerts to professional development. I did find greater success working with students, parents, and staff. I felt most comfortable working with those groups. The relationships built this first year, I believe, will help lay the foundation of my tenure. I am also glad that I did not rush to drastically change the school. The school was already in pretty good shape. I wanted to honor what worked but noted things that needed improving in the coming years. Of course, we are a school in need of improvement so I had to work on a few things immediately such as instructional focuses for teachers and interventions and accommodations for struggling students. Overall, I tried to keep the transition from one principal to another as minimal a distraction as possible. After the first year, more changes will be evident. There is one suggestion I hope any first year principal will take. That is to accept the advice and support of fellow administrators because it is worth its weight in gold. There is nothing worse than feeling isolated and alone. I was fortunate enough to have many good people offer their guidance and support. I was also fortunate to have a central office that was supportive of a new administrator. It is true that there is no substitute for experience, but until you get it, the advice of others is priceless. Change is difficult for everyone. I replaced a principal who was there for 17 years. For many staff members she was the only administrator they had ever known. Working with staff to create a vision for the school, valuing them and their expertise in areas helped ease the transition for all. I also found that working side by side with parents and students helped ease my transition into the principalship. I am proud to say Elm Street School made AYP in reading during that first year. We have one more year to go to get out of school in need of improvement. I am looking to year two being even more successful as year one, but with a few less bumps. To all first year principals, I wish you the best. Now you will have to excuse me -- I’m late for a meeting.
|
 |
|
 |
|
||
|
Copyright
© 2009 EducationHall. All rights reserved. |
