Being that I do not work in a school I will describe the power dynamic at the school that I did my observations in. The Principle primarily reports to the District Office and spends much of his time collecting data and reporting the results to the school board. He also walks the hallways and is farely involved in talking with students and setting a relational tone between students and staff. The staff and Administration are all very approachable.
The Assistant Principles are very hands on with the staff. They clearly take their marching orders from the Principle and they meet with the various department professional learning committees to ensure all of the classes are aligned and that the teachers are teaching towards results. They coach teaching to the state standards.
The teachers are asked to not only do their own class but they are also encouraged to all be involved in extra-curricular activities. This has a major positive influence on the overall school environment. Teachers are out in the hallways between classes to spend time building relationships with kids as they move from class to class.
Morning Ryan,
ReplyDeleteHaving a principal who is seen and known is a great advantage to school. We had one like that one time, Bill Jones. Best I've ever seen. He was always around the campus. He'd pop in a classroom, not to observe or evaluate, just to say Hi to teachers and the kids. He always tried to eat lunch with the kids in the quad area. He's have his brown bag and always had a group of students and teachers around him. He organized ways for the students and staff to interact. We had student staff basketball games and what we called the Tri Olympics where students on the track team competed with staff and allumni. I still jumped 12'6 pole vaulting at 50. Not bad. What a time we had. When complaints came, he treated us fairly. When we were in the right, nothing would sway him from his staff. When we were wrong, we got fair treatment and constructive input as to how to remedy the situation. He always treated us as professionals. He got sick and tierd of how education was going in California, he saw the handwriting on the wall and is not in Central America building schools and teaching there. Maybe I should make contact.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteNice observations of the school. The walking the halls is very important I have found, it shows the envolvement in the school and it builds relationships with teachers, students, and parents. I have been in schools where you don't see the principal very much because their spending the most of their time in the office and have also been in schools where the principal is extremly envolved and has a true presence through out the halls. That principal made sure she was out on recess duty and lunch duty and even after school for bus duty. Its alot more enjoyable to work in the school with the principal more involved and the overall enviroment of the school seems to be a much more postivie one.
Hi Ryan,
ReplyDeleteJust posting anther blog to your week 3 blog like it says in the syllabus. Seems redundant but just trying to follow protocol.
I was reading ore of your post. I see that your assistant principals get their orders from the top, as it has to be, but what I found interesting that, instead of simply mandating orders, they coach and teach the teacher's what is expected and ways to accomplish the goals. This is not the case here. We get the orders and then have to mind read what and how the objectives are accomplished. The only time we hear from them is when we have not done a job or assignment according to their thoughts and interpretations of their directives. Clearly a communications breakdown.
We need assistants who will let us know expectations without our needing to guess.