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Home : 2003 : Feb : 6
Our father was also an elementary principal--over 30 years in the same building in Indiana. He genuinely loved his job. He would leave our house by 6:30 every morning so as to be there to greet the kids as they came off of the buses. He knew all the kids and their families. . .in fact, even now when we're in restaurants, stores, etc. back in my hometown people will come up to him and say, "Hey, Mr. Moss, do you remember me?" and 9 out of 10 times, he does! His building was the type where teachers never left until they retired. I'm sure that there are other principals like that out there. . somewhere. .I just haven't seen many. I think all of the standardized testing and school ratings have created a lot of "burn-out" for principals, just as it has for us. Here in Texas, our third graders have 3 opportunities to take the new TAKS reading test (Mar. 4th, Apr. 30 and July 8), if they don't pass it, then they will be retained in third grade. I think some administrators get so wrapped-up in the day-to-day paperwork that it becomes routine for them to stay in their office for most of the day. They lose touch with what is going on in the classrooms. Of course, you also have the opposite type that is such a control-freak that they don't allow teachers much room for personalizing lessons, etc. Most school districts tie test scores to their principals' ratings. In our district, principals could potentially lose their jobs if their building's scores are consistently low. (I guess that circumstance would probably make a control-freak out of me, too! ha!) I doubt that we've cornered the market on poor administrative styles, though. My husband comes home almost daily complaining about management at his work, too. I imagine that there are some of those CEOs that are lack-luster, too. I think that being an effective administrator is about 30% "training" and 70% "attitude and dedication." I guess the same thing could be said for any profession. . .for example, all teachers have had at least the basic 4 yrs. of college. . but that's not a guarantee that every teacher is going to be "effective." After 16 years and 6 principals I've basically taken that attitude that what really matters is what I am personally doing in my classroom to make a difference for the kids. . .sometimes, you just have to close the door and do what you know is right.
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