I was recently forwarded the article “Ten Big Ideas of School Leadership: Middle school principal Mike McCarthy shares 30 years of wisdom on how to run a school well” at http://www.edutopia.org/stw-maine-project-based-learning-ideas-principal-leadership. The ten ideas seem so simple but should be emphasized and driven home on a frequent basis, to staff, support staff, and administration for a healthy school year and community. #5, #6, #7, #9, and #10 are key…
#5 Find Time to Think During the Day
This is important for a few reasons. If a teacher is so overwhelmed and so busy during the day, making quick decisions and taking care of her students, what is left of her during the day or when the school day is over? She’s moving on to the next subject in the schedule, grading papers, attending meetings, falling asleep on the couch in front of the TV while lesson planning….
The only way I have found time to actually think during the day about the overall objective of our learning is to be planned ahead as much as possible and go with the flow. Teachable moments are priceless and you won’t see or feel them if you’re too caught up in the curriculum or your to-do list. What are in front of you are children…curious and motivated children. Get a feel for what they need by paying attention to them and work with what they already know, formulating what they will need.
#6 Take Responsibility for the Good and the Bad
If you’re going to make a complaint about something, have a suggestion for a solution. No one appreciates a constant complainer who lacks others’ perspectives or the ability to empathize. There is usually a reason something is going wrong. One may not have the whole picture, so always approach with questions or caution (try not to insert foot in mouth here).
If something you have planned doesn’t go according to plan, take suggestions, make suggestions, and learn from the experience. Nothing goes perfect the first time you try it, so expect errors instead of sweeping them under the rug. But when things happen to go right, learn how to take a compliment gracefully. Some people (like myself) become quite embarrassed over compliments, but you do need to know when things go right and simply say, “Thanks!”
#7 You Have the Ultimate Responsibility
Delegation is tricky, tricky business. You need to be able to teach people how to do something you have done a million times, and you need to explain and demonstrate it in a way that makes newbies feel at ease. Most importantly, don’t forget to follow-up…assistants in training will have questions, so you need to support them to keep the integrity of a program. Never make assumptions that because things are quiet that everything is going smoothly.
#9 Consensus is Overrated
Complainers shouldn’t get all the attention. Some of this goes back to the “if you’re going to voice a problem, have a solution” issue. I know some people aren’t into majority rules, but group think is even more intolerable…nothing gets done, issues go unresolved. Try the majority rules bit, and if that works, great! If it doesn’t work, try the majority suggestion, get feedback, and tweak it. But do something! Settling for mediocrity or unaccomplished goals as a school is frustrating. Push for progress!
#10 Large Change Needs to be Done Quickly
This concept goes hand-in-hand with #9. Don’t sit on your hands. Make a difference, make suggestions, and see the progress that can be made. Big picture is good. Accomplishing small tasks to reach the big picture is even better.
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