The school year is coming to an end. I have to say that this has been quite an eventful school year. The first day of school consisted of an eclipse, two days later Hurricane Harvey happened, the start of the second semester we were going through a snowiceapocalypse, then Parkland happened, and then a school shooting way too close to home happened in Sante Fe, Texas. Sante Fe is less than a 30 minute drive from where I live. All this happened during my first year as an assistant principal.
If I can best sum up the phases of emotions that go through the roles I have in education it would be this:
As a teacher, I felt I served as many various roles for students. It was important to me that students felt like when they walked into my classroom that it felt like home. You never know what a student may be going home to outside your classroom, and the one positive and best thing that should happen to them each day at school is to feel welcomed, supported, and loved. When I moved into an instructional support role as an Advanced Academics Specialist I very much felt like a flight attendant. I was there to guide others to where they needed or wanted to grow towards. I trusted others in their roles, but I was there to help motivate and make them even better in their craft. Now as an administrator I feel more like a thousand questions at any point of the day is thrown at me, and the one thing people are looking for is for me to have the answer. So, how did I survive this because in reality I don't know all the answers?
1. Be Yourself
I stayed true in being confident in knowing who I am and not being afraid to be myself. I have met so many other educators who move into administrative roles and they all of a sudden change. I never understood why. As a teacher and instructional support staff I trusted administrators more who were authentic.
2. Don't Be Afraid to Say, I Don't Know
You will not know all of the answers and others understand that. Now, that does not mean that you don't take the time to find out the answer because no one will understand you not doing that part. But answering a question with I don't know is not a sign of weakness. Instead it's a sign that you are a human being and that is understandable.
3. If You Say It, Then Mean It
I never wanted to make any promises that I could never fulfill. If I could not do it then I would be honest in saying just that. But if you say you are going to do something then do it.
4. Teamwork Truly Makes the Dream Work
Get to know the strengths and weaknesses of faculty and staff and capitalize on their strengths. By doing so you actually help them grow those weaknesses into strengths. You cannot do everything alone and part of your role as an administrator is to build leaders. If you are the one doing everything then how will you have future leaders to make the ship run smoothly for students?
5. Be in the Role for the Right Reasons
Know your why. Let me say that one more time. Know your why. In anything that you do you should take the time to understand your why and that will lead you to your role. My personal why is to ensure that every child has a learning experience that they find meaningful and prepares them for their future endeavors and to accomplish this I believe in growing leaders
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