Welcome to the fourth installment of the blog series Principal's Principles. At this stage, I am completing my fifth year as an elementary school principal. The following are some of the learning that is taking place in my life during this stage.
Distribute Leadership
Plan like you are leaving! Anything can happen and you may have to leave your school tomorrow. One of the best things you can do is have a succession plan in place should that happen. This is done by developing a strong leadership team and distributing leadership as much as possible. Initially, as a new leader, you may feel insecure and that you want to be in the spotlight for every occasion. You need to get through this stage as soon as possible if you are in it.
Some practical ways to put this into practice are the following. Have lead teachers, coordinators or other key staff members lead assemblies. Distribute the load of planning and leading parent workshops throughout the year among the leadership team you have developed. Include a couple of people in your recruiting process. Teach them how to interview and call references. In particular, if you teach them to call references you are ensuring the safety of your students and the mental health of your current staff.
The Bus
Closely connected to the section above is the leadership saying: get the right people on the bus and get them in the right seats on the bus. This means that hiring is crucial. I have a saying, "I do not care about PYP or PhD, just give me a good teacher with a good attitude." I put much more weight in the reference calls than the interview. Through careful recruiting, you get the right people on the bus.
Developing a solid Professional Growth Program is then important to develop the people you have hired. I believe in promoting internally and developing the proven talent that you have. This is the second part of this saying, get them in the right seats on the bus. I suggest you promote internally and get competent people that you trust in lead teacher, coordinator, and other key positions.
Accreditation
This one is huge and has the potential to transform your organization. If you get your head around this it will be worth its weight in gold for you. I will most likely write a separate blog post about this. Accreditation agencies such as ACS WASC, CIS or NEASC have developed research-based standards over decades to guide schools. These standards form the basis of what makes a good school. Learn what they are inside out. I encourage you to apply to serve as a visiting team member with one of the above organizations. This will rapidly increase your learning in this area.
As you go through the accreditation process with your school, utilize it to its full. If the leadership team can really understand the value of an Appreciative Inquiry, Action Research, self-study process, it can transform the school. The action plan that is developed as part of this process should drive all you do at the school. This is particularly beneficial in times of crisis like the current COVID-19 pandemic that we are experiencing.
Professional Development
Align your professional development plan to your schoolwide action plan. Connect it to your teacher professional growth program. Ensure that you are not selecting PD on a whim with no follow-through. Plan it according to your action plan. For example, if one of your schoolwide goals is child protection then you should have child protection training as part of your PD program. Basically, it is a rule that the more you connect everything at the school, the faster you will bring about lasting change.
Baby Photos
My final bit of advice is to use baby photos. If it is a graduation, presentation, or whatever, if you put up pictures of your students when they were babies, it will immediately change the atmosphere in the room:-)
