The Leaders of the Pack

The Principal’s office, the one place no kid ever wants to be summoned to. Just the mere threat of a trip to the principal’s office has students cowering in fear. What many students don’t realize is that many teachers feel the same way. The idea of being reprimanded by the principal is a universal fear that seems to drive many to avoid the office whenever possible. Let’s explore how we can view the principal’s office a little differently, and maybe with less fear.

Administrators are your boss. They are doing the best they can to ensure that the entire school is successful in its mission. They are people, and you do not need to fear them, but you need to remember that they deserve to be treated with respect. While they are your colleagues, they are also in charge of ensuring that you are doing your job to the best of your ability. You should not yell at them as if they were naughty students, nor should you expect them to act like your BFF. We are professionals, and professionals understand that the relationship between boss and employee can be friendly, but there is still a line that should not be crossed. That being said, administrators are not your enemy.

Administrators were once teachers, I think we often forget that. They have been where we are and I honestly believe that the vast majority only want to ensure that we are able to focus on teaching our students. They want to help us be the best teachers we can be, and sometimes that does mean correcting our mistakes and pointing out where we need to improve. Do you have hurtful intent every time you correct student mistakes on their papers? Our administrators are the “teachers of the teachers” as it were. They are helping us learn and grow to accomplish all that we can.

I often wonder how many times our administrators protect us from parents and the public at large that we never find out about. I know there have been times when a student will tell me that their parents called the school and talked to the principal about something they were upset about. That is often all I hear about it. When I asked the principal of our school, I was told that it was taken care of and not to worry about it. Administers do so much to protect their teachers from those outside the school who would be hurtful and unkind. Superintendents do this as well. They often have to deal with reporters, state officials, etc. There are so many public interactions that teachers do not have to deal with thanks to the various administrators in the district.

Administrators are the leaders of our crazy pack of educators. They have entire schools (and for some, districts) to guide and lead. They will sometimes make mistakes, but overall they will do their best to make the decisions that best benefit their charge. Whether they are a principal over a school(s) or a superintendent of a district, these individuals deserve respect and support. Is there some way that you can show your administrators support? Maybe send them a thank you note. Definitely try to argue and complain less. Be respectful and mindful of the fact that there are many things happening that you are not privy to. As we remember to be good team members and employees, we make our administrator’s job so much easier; and as a result, our schools are so much more effective in reaching our students.