“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.
Do you have a sacred time and place? If so, please share. Also, do you have a support system. Again, please share.
ReplyDeleteMentoring obviously played a key role for Carter. This has led me to reflect on my experience as Director of Multicultural Affairs and Community Development at St. John's Prep. When I started working there I was 25 years old and no one had ever done this particular job at the school before. I would have benefitted from mentor. I did not have a mentor at the school, nor did I have one outside of the school.
In fact, I used try to connect with various individuals that fulfilled my role at other independent schools. However, one of the sad realities of this job is that there is a high turnover. So, I would start developing a relationship with someone and a year later they would be gone.
As I process this, it reminds me to be intentional about creating a strong mentoring program for new faculty and staff. I want new faculty and staff to feel welcomed, continually supported and I want to provide them with the resources they need to be successful.