THE JOY OF BEING A PRINCIPAL

You know Lana in Room 5, well I’m her sister but I’m a boy".
It’s gems like this that lighten a Principal’s day and remind us of the main reason why we do this work – to provide the best possible education for children. In the midst of winter, and a cold one at that, it seems fortuitous to raise spirits by thinking about the many good things about being a Principal.
Principalship must be one of the most interesting and challenging jobs to be found. There are many days when Principals long not to be interrupted, just so some ‘work’ can get done. ‘Work’ usually means paperwork, the administrative compliance type reports that take so much longer to do than they should because of the constant interruptions. Principals carefully plan their day in the knowledge that on most days very little will be achieved. Many of the interruptions will be problems and will nearly all concern ‘people’ issues involving staff, children or parents that the Principal will be expected to solve. Some issues will be easily resolved, others will take much longer and may never be completely solved but the Principal will aim to do everything possible to negotiate and mediate in order to maintain a level of stability in the school. It is always difficult to explain the Principal’s job to anyone outside the profession. After all, it is part educator, part counsellor, social worker, handy person, first aider … As Principals we not only multi task but are able to switch roles at a second’s notice with ease. Many people would envy this variety in our lives and the many skills we have the opportunity to develop.
Self-management has empowered Principals to make a real difference to all aspects of school leadership. Principals are charged with developing a vision for the school and working with others to implement it. This is an inspiring opportunity that few leaders in other organizations of a similar size are given. A school vision usually relates to ways to maximise the learning opportunities and outcomes for children. A new era is dawning. Already we can sense a shift in emphasis in our education system from management accountability and compliance to the development of high quality learning and teaching programmes. The new NAGs, the ERO Review, the Literacy and Numeracy Initiatives and the Curriculum Stocktake all reiterate this focus. This is good news for people in schools, especially Principals. Now we can re-focus on the real purpose of our work, children’s learning. It is exciting to guide the development of programmes that enable children in our schools to make significant progress and to celebrate this with the children, the staff and parents.
There is no doubt that interpersonal connections with those around us can be the greatest stress in the job. Many sleepless hours are spent rehashing conversations and planning subsequent ones. On the other hand, for every negative experience, there are many positive ones that can uplift us if we let them. It is unfortunate that many of us tend to focus on the negative and forget those who show their positive appreciation with a smile, a warm comment or a thoughtful message.
Self–management has extended the Principal’s role in leading the professional development of staff. It is exciting to see the growth of confidence and skill in beginning teachers as they learn to cope with the interpersonal challenges of today’s schools, the over-crowded curriculum, the administrative demands and especially the children with behavioural problems that simply do not respond to the praise/ignore strategy that many young teachers have been taught. For Principals, the professional growth and learning of these young teachers is as important to us as that of the children in our classes. We learn to ‘capture the moment’ to suggest new approaches and affirm their progress.
Parents can also provide a source of support. When the governance/management partnership is working well, a school can accomplish great things. Examples of this are often in the amazing property developments that have been achieved by many schools. In other issues, there is also often a feeling of pride in school achievements as the staff and parents work together to overcome challenges and contentious issues for the good of the school as a whole. This of course does not always happen and it is a sad indictment on the system when principals say "I’m lucky, I’ve got a good Board". It should not be a matter of luck but simply as a consequence of working hard together for a common goal.
Parents can also be a source of fun as well as information. Schools need parent support when working with children with learning or behavioural needs. In these cases, often a sense of camaraderie develops in the teacher/parent relationship. One such example was in a school that was having a "P Day". For this event, children were to come to school dressed in something beginning with P. Jane, mother of Tom, called into the Office especially to let the Principal know that she was sending her son Tom with a can of fly spray so he could be the pest that he was. On the day, Tom came in his pyjamas as did many others but the Principal could not help smiling at Jane’s creative idea.!
Perhaps our greatest rewards come from the mouths of our children. One Auckland Principal was recently especially honoured when on Friday afternoon 5-year-old Johnson wished her to "Have a Happy Birthday on Monday". She replied that it wasn’t actually her birthday on Monday. He replied that, "Yes, it is, it’s the Queen’s Birthday on Monday". Needless to say, that young boy will go far!
Far too often we become weighed down with the heavy demands of our job, the relentless pace of change and the sad and the unexpected. We forget to celebrate those special moments that are very much a part of being a Principal.