Leadership
Your transition from teacher to administrator
Congratulations! You have made it. You have gotten your first administrative job. For some of you, this is what you have been planning and hoping for, for many years. For others, this appointment has been thrust upon you. You have been chosen. The reason for this transition is not important. Your life has just changed.
For me, I happened to be the right person at the right time, and my skill set fit what the school needed. I was not actively planning to make this move. To move into administration the stars have to align for you. You have to possess the needed skills, the hiring decision-makers have to support you, and the district politics have to be right. I am not convinced that order reflects the reality of most administrative job searches. In many districts, the politics have to be right or you do not move forward. Please never underestimate that fact. To illustrate this point, I will share a story that I think says it all. Early in my administrative career, I was a vice principal for several years and I thought I was ready take on the role of the principal. Retrospectively, I now know I was not ready. In preparation for my interview, I called the sitting principal in the building who was retiring and asked him for a meeting to learn more about the school. He was very receptive, and we set up a time to meet. Once I arrived, the first words out of his mouth were, “Do you have five?”. Because of my naivete, I had no idea what he was talking about. He wanted to know if I had my five votes on the board of education lined up. I thought he was joking. We talked further, and soon the meeting ended with me learning nothing about the school but everything about how district politics worked. I did not get the job. And sometimes, the best jobs are the ones you do not get.
The first thing I noticed when I assumed my first vice principal position was that I was no longer welcome at the dining room table with the teachers. One day I was “one of the guys”, and the next day I was “one of them”. No one ever said anything directly, but you would have had to be brain dead not to feel the change. The first thing you might realize is that you may not be considered part of the “teacher team”. I believe that this mentality has changed favorably over the past number of years. However, never forget that if you have a role in evaluating staff and making decisions that might not be best for the adults, your relationship will never be what it used to be. Because of this, your personal relationships are apt to change. To think differently, you are being naïve.
Although my initial boss was a great educator, I was basically given a large ring of keys and wished luck. Some people used to equate power with the size key ring you possessed. I was able to navigate the process because I knew the school from working there. If I was new to the district, I wonder if success would have been possible. Today, we are doing a much better job mentoring new administrators, but we still have a very long way to go in this process. I challenge our states and national organizations to help change the way new administrators are brought into a job or district.
I hope that before you decided to pursue administration you thought this descion out clearly. What type of administrative position are you looking for? Curricular supervision is more academic in nature. You will be working with teachers and colleagues to help improve instruction and drive the district’s curriculum. A building level administrator focuses much more on students and parents. However, I can say that there were days and weeks as a building level administrator I did nothing academic. My focus was on student issues and crisis management. When I finally moved to central administration, I lost most contact with the students. I did not like that aspect of my job. Therefore, if being “with the kids” is important to you, I would steer clear of central office curriculum work.
Also understand that building level administration presents very distinct challenges. Forger about your to-do lists. I used to sculpt elaborate and comprehensive lists, and at the end of a ten-hour day, nothing would be checked off. You must become an incredible multitasker, juggling what seems to be one thousand balls in the air at once. There are always “many pots on the stove”, cooking up issues for you. Managing multiple priorities is real. It is not just some fancy title for a workshop. Without question, you must be flexible and open minded.
You will be tested quickly. Your authority will be tested quickly, especially if you once sat beside the same person in a department that you are now supervising. Some of your colleagues will not see you as an administrator and will challenge your authority. Hopefully, you have built your relationship on respect, and you are competent and confident. This may help you assert yourself in the early going. It is important that you draw the boundary lines quickly with your staff. You may have to cut off the nightly calls to your professional friends, and you may have to curtail your weekly cocktail out with the group. Most times, the group will feel uncomfortable with you around because many of these sessions are used to gripe and complain about the school or administration. Remember that you are now administration. It is imperative that you do not share your thoughts with the group or throw your boss “under the bus”. Remember that once an administrative decision is made it becomes the team’s decision. Each administrator must stand tall behind it.
When making a decision, do not rush to judgment. Most decisions can wait. Gather input from others, think about it, and then stand by your decision. Never make an emotional decision. Once a decision is made it is hard to bring it back. You could be seen as one incapable of a decision or a “waffler”. You will know what decisions have to be made in an instant. When they arise, make them with confidence. You will get better at it as you go. I have had many sleepless nights questioning my decisions. Most times I think they were good decisions. I learned from the not so good decisions. Remember, as a coach I was undefeated on Monday morning. To me this means that you always make the right decision retrospectively. The world is full of Monday morning quarterbacks. As an administrator, you do not have this luxury.
As a teacher, you may have been loved and admired by students, perhaps parents and yes, even colleagues. I can assure you that as an administrator you will rarely be liked or loved. If you need to experience that feeling, perhaps administration is not the place to be for you at this time in your life. That is okay.
You will have no preparation periods and no standard lunch hour. I can’t remember the times I actually got a chance to sit and eat like an actual person as a building administrator. Your preparation is done on your own time. Paperwork and planning is done after hours, at home, and on the weekends. Being a school administrator is a 24 hour a day, seven days a week job. Cellphones, e-mail, and the Internet have robbed administration of their down time. You are always on call.
It is essential you are visible to staff and students. One of the most hurtful things a teacher would say to me, not meaning it in a bad way, was “hey, I haven’t seen you in a while”. I would perseverate on that statement for hours. I always tried to be visible and engaged with what was happening in my building, including all night time activities. When I did not accomplish, this I felt defeated.
Likewise, I would always try to know my students’ names. In a big school, it was almost impossible. I was pretty good at knowing either a first or last name. Just like the aforementioned teacher comment when a student would say to me “you do not even know my name”, this comment too, would lead to anguish and sleepless nights. I expected more of myself.
Finally, I feel compelled to speak of the politics of your organization. Most schools are governed by some sort of board of education. Be cognizant of the members who may not fully understand their roles and try to impart their wills on you. Many times, this can be subtle pressure, and others times it may be overt and direct. Likewise, in some districts, local politicians become actively involved with their own set of expectations. Watch out what you say and who you say it to. Saying something innocently to one person may get back to someone else and inadvertently you are called to answer for it. Identify your power players among the staff. Be sensitive to their needs and work to co-opt them to your side. The same can be said for parents. Know the power players. In your district, this could be the PTA, Booster Clubs, Band Parents, or any other organization in your community. I quickly learned the bank of parents I had to address quickly if there was an issue with their child. The time I put in on the front end saved me a great deal of time on the back end. Be proactive with the “squeaky wheel”.
Never forget that you are an administrator for the needs of the students. Make your decisions with that in mind. Many times, we make decisions as to what is right for the adults rather than what is right for the children. When this happens, shame on us.
Attempt to maintain a life balance. Although I do believe you are on call 24/7, it is critical that you monitor your health and take care of your family. I have seen administrator’s health deteriote quickly, and I have seen families significantly impacted as a result of the job.
In closing, I am glad you have become an adminstror. You can change the world. You can impact the lives of many children. I was an administrator for 32 years and despite all that I have written about, I would not change one day!
Good luck.
Acknowledgements
I currently mentor new principals. I would like to thank all of those current residents and my past residents for sharing with me some of their ideas about this article. They are all off to fi
