The Principal of Change

It has been a VERY busy first week and it seems like so long ago that we had our staff meeting. Within this week, I learned that I am grateful and fortunate enough to work with a parent-partnership program that I worked with only one year earlier. This was very exciting news for me as this program had tremendously influenced me in seeing the importance and impact parents can have on the learning of their children. I read a tweet earlier this week (sorry for the lack of link), that basically said that we need to not only share what we do with parents what we are doing, but we have to make use of their expertise as well. There is an abundance of this resource and it is essential that we tap into it.

Students were very excited to be back and I am glad that I decided to share the view that I get to see everyday from my students.  Not only is the “200 Days Project” a great project to share what I am doing, it is also a way to ensure that I am taking time to get into the classes everyday.  It also doesn’t hurt that the kids are extremely excited about getting their picture taken.  Kids are always the best part of this job and the more I can show that I appreciate and care for them, the better.

As I heading to a meeting, I realized that this is my fourth year of administration.  It actually shocked me since time has flown so quickly.  One of the key messages that I have learned is that there are really not that many real emergencies.  Often times when I first started in admin, I wanted to answer everyone so quickly that I would often be wrong on my answer or unintentionally lead them astray.  You felt hurried and were sometimes pressured by others to make a decision or give an answer now! That pressure led me to the quick response.  This quick decision making was not best for taking care of the long term needs of our school.  The “think time” that we so need to afford to our students is also important to give to adults as well.  Sometimes it may deter some people from asking questions because they do not get the instant answer.  It is more important that I give them the honest and correct answer though.  The quick fixes sometimes lead to more problems and we have to ensure that we are thoughtful in our process, especially when we are dealing with the needs of students.

Blogging and taking the time to reflect has been one of the best ways for me to grow because it helps me to sort my thoughts and understanding on different topics.  This same practice has to be implemented in our day to day work with others.  If you are an administrator (or really anyone), take the time to reflect and ensure that you are getting the right answer to the people you serve, not just an answer.  If you know you can’t figure out the answer, ask for help.  You will gain more respect out of showing your willingness to lean on others than you would from leading people in the wrong direction.

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