Principals MUST "recharge" their batteries

“I deserve neither such praise nor such censure”,

Elizabeth Bennett (in Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice).

        Principals’ jobs are like a Six Flags roller coaster. Their day can be a whirlwind with brilliant peaks and plundering downs, alternating at a precipitous pace. It is through the interactions with students that we feel most gratified, and experience the brilliance accompanied with the job; our utmost priority is their well being. Although there can be some conflict, depending on the age of the students, there is a sense of purpose being a part of their education; a sense of continuity in planting seeds of wisdom that will pay off in the future. It seems, that if the child knows that you care, he or she will trust your intention and give you the benefit of the doubt.
       

The downside, is the sometimes critical and defensive interactions with the adults. The parents and teachers have their own expectations and conditioned responses that sometimes are hard to diffuse. Most of the time, this attitude is not intentional, but it can permeate the culture of the school, and create conflict for the principal. In other words “Leadership is hard because expectations are high, blame swift and harsh” (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006 p. 214).

For those low points, and fast days, it is very important to maintain a “sacred” time and place, as well as to create a support system, in order to deal with the intensity of the job. For principal Carter, in the NLNS case study, this support system was embodied by his coach from the New Leaders program. Carter’s coach served as a “critical, confidential sounding board, allowing him to float ideas with an experienced school leader before acting on them” (Archer, 2007, pg. 27) While some of us may not be so fortunate as to get a coach or mentor during our first years as principals, it should be possible to create ways to recharge our “battery” during the day, as well as to find people we trust to discuss some of the issues with. Technology can also help us to connect with principals in similar situations and get their advice. We need those unbiased connections that will offer advice and support.

While the road of a principal can be lonely, it will also be a satisfactory one. It is important to remember that as principals, we will be in a leadership role, but should not believe or make others believe we are infallible. “Even the smartest, most experienced, most dedicated individual is, in the end, a human being with biases, and failings that this fact entails” (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p.198) . We can learn how to accept our shortcomings with good grace and learn from our mistakes, while maintaining our center and integrity, whether things are going well or not at any given moment.

Authenticity

I believe it is important to be an authentic leader with a vision that is clear to everybody involved,and with the capacity for decision making that represents this inner ideal. I am struggling with how to maintain this authenticity, with the limitations that are imposed by statewide requirements and regulations.

One of those limitations, particularly in public school, is the annual budget. The budget is restrictive in that there is a very small possibility of receiving any kind of increase.  Therefore, the principal has few options within the designated funding, and the part of the budget that is controlled by the principal, is usually limited even more by state mandates. This year, one of the requirements for public schools in our state, is to have a halftime physical education teacher. Because of the state imposed limitations, the Literacy Instructor position in my practicum was eliminated. This position was replaced by a part time PE teacher. Even though we have a grant-funded physical education instructor two days a week in the school, we still had to add a half-time teacher to meet the requirement. Who is to say which teacher is more important for the students? There are compelling arguments for both. However, in defense of authenticity, it makes no sense for a leader to say that literacy is important to their vision, while simultaneously eliminating positions that directly benefit the students in this area.

Another limitation to the principal's vision’s authenticity is the impending court order on public schools to increase the diversity in the teaching staff. While obviously the best-qualified teacher should get the position, sometimes the principal is obligated to pick someone with a particular profile which meets  the requirements of the state. How can an authentic leader, maintain his or her values, while forced to consider aspects such as race, rather than qualifications.  The same goes for hiring new teachers that are not within the public school “hub”. The system promotes growth for the people that are part of it, but makes it difficult to hire other teachers for talent alone. Does this mean that an “average” teacher will get hired in schools, while an outstanding teacher will be left without a job? How can we as leaders maintain our authenticity and integrity while still having to make the tough choices that may not be in synchronicity with our values?

I believe that within these limitations the principal does have a choice. As the readings for this week mentioned, acting in ways that are consistent with your values, shows more commitment and integrity than words. In this situation the principal could be transparent with the staff, mention that there are some mandates, but that substitute money could be used to bring a literacy coach to the building once a week, to preserve the school’s priorities. During the hiring process the principal can explain the high standards to potential candidates, so that teachers with lower levels of commitment will not be interested in working there.  The principal must have the ability to think and create ideas regardless of the limitations imposed, so that their vision stays untainted.  

I guess I will save the rest of my edits until after 12pm, tomorrow!
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