Leadership

We are all teachers!

Sometimes on our career journey to the principal’s office we forget that we are teachers.  This can happen for a lot of reasons.  They may include:

• There is not enough time in the day.
• I am a leader, not a teacher.
• I have been there and done that.
• I have already mastered that part of my career.
• I am afraid to get back in the classroom and stand in front of students.
• The kids have changed, and I haven’t.

The list of reasons could go on and on.  If you use any of the above referenced reasons for your neglect in this area, shame on you.  I know that in all likelihood you would never admit this to anyone.   When the thought of teaching again surfaces in your mind, terror accompanies this thought.  If this is the case, get out of your office at once and get back into the classroom.  When teachers leave the classroom for administration, they tend to become detached (Greenwald, 2017).

Administrators should never stop being a teacher.  You are a teacher 24 hours of the day, seven days a week.  You should be constantly teaching and leading. For the principal, teaching and learning is never terminal.  It is imperative that you never stop teaching your students. For several years, I taught a class to students before the regular school day, and reflectively, it was the best part of the day for me.  Something positive that I could look forward to.  I know that each principal cannot commit to this daily experience. Eventually, I had to give this up. However, a regular schedule of classes to teach can be designed within the school day and within the semester. I was able to commit to this reduced teaching load. I can vividly recall that one year as the district’s superintendent I assigned each administrator a class to teach.  It was their choice,  but I wanted them to report back about his / her experience to the group.  It amazed me how as a group they avoided and skirted this directive.  They did everything possible not to complete the task.  In essence, they were able to wait me out.

Getting out of your office and back into the classroom, not just for an administrative “walk throughs”, gives you the opportunity to get to know the staff much better and also gives you a better opportunity to get to know the names of your students.  One of the most hurtful things a student could say to me as a principal was, “you do not even know my name.”  Although I was pretty good, I did not know all of my 1400 students by name.   More importantly, did the students know who I was?  The students should know their principal by sight and by name.  The same can be said for central administrators.  Students tend to see them as strangers and disconnected to their school and learning.

Additionally, many times there is a huge gap between the mindset of teachers and the mindset of administrators.  The roles are almost built and conceived to be separate entities.  The classroom can be a vehicle to bring administrators and teachers together.  The teaching experience for the administrator can also help to connect the administrator to the students.  This connection can also help to bring the mission of the school to life (Greenwald, 2017).  I trust somewhere in the mission of the school is embedded the concept of teaching and learning.  We must diligently work hard to break down any preconceived notion that the administrator leads and the teachers teach (Greenwald, 2017).

By getting into the classroom to teach, the administrator is also able to get the pulse of the students.  He / she can find out what is on the students’ minds (Greenwald, 2017).  In this way, the administrator could ultimately get out in front of any potential issue that could be harmful to the culture of the school.

By teaching, the administrator also can get a true perspective of what teachers experience on a daily basis.  This can be something as simple as the condition of the rooms and simple record reporting procedures.  Teaching forces one to prepare as teachers do and provides a better opportunity for the administrator to understand how the content or students have changed (Greenwald, 2017).  When I taught my classes as an administrator, I was able to get a good appreciation for the amount of interruptions that impact each classroom and the flow of instruction.  Understanding this forced me to prohibit the use of school announcements during class time.  The office had to eliminate needless interruptions.  One could only fully appreciate this by experiencing it.  When classes are being taught, the PA system must be disabled (with the exception of crises and emergencies)

There would be a positive impact on the school culture if every administrator would commit to teaching.   This includes district administration.  At times central office administrators get easily detached from the day to day operation of the school.  I personally saw this from both sides.  When I was a principal, I viewed central office most times as intruders.  It became a very subtle “us vs. them” mentality.  This type of system could be viewed as deleterious to all.  Many times, central office helped to reinforce this attitude because at times they impersonally ran into the building, disrupted things, and exited quickly. In my heart, I believed that this was not done purposely, but they too were overworked, underappreciated, with not enough hours in the day to get their jobs done.   I do not mean to paint with a broad brush here.  I know many central administrators that will appreciate what I am saying and are sympathetic to building principals. They remain skillful teachers. However, I have also known just as many that were not. Upon moving to central office, I had hoped to change this attitude.  I made some strides in this area but certainly was not able to eliminate it.  With everyone teaching, this feeling and appearance of alienation could be mitigated.

It is extremely important that the principal is seen as a teacher of teachers.  He /she must be able to skillfully teach his/her staff.  Although he/she cannot be an expert on everything, he/she has to be able to demonstrate his/her expertise in teaching adults.

The principal when perceived as both a teacher and leader will more effectively and collegially lead the school.  A natural by-product of this perception will be a stronger school culture and climate.  I am convinced as climate improves, learning for all, both adults and students, will improve.   Perhaps we will ultimately become a true community of learners.

References

Greenwald, Richard (2017, March). Why Administrators Should Teach. The Chronicle Review, March 5, 2017.