Entry # 1: "Hello, my name is Kristi,
and I'm a first-year principal..."
When I was approached to write this diary, I was at first hesitant. As a
first year principal, what could I possibly write about that would be of
interest to others? I came to realize that everyone has a first year, and
perhaps I could find a way to make mine interesting to others, whether they
be veterans who can sympathize, or future principals who need to know the
realities of the job. In any event, I plan to share as much as I can without
jeopardizing my career or my students' and staff's right to privacy.
"Hello, my name is Kristi, and I am the principal of a middle school
in California."
Sounds a little like a support group intro, but I think you'll eventually
understand why.
For those of you who haven't been keeping up with California politics, we
are in the midst of a wave of "accountability" which has come
in the form of the SAT-9 standardized test. Each school is ranked on a scale
of 1-10 (1 is lowest and 10 is highest) and given two separate scores. Schools
with high numbers of English Language Learners and students from low socioeconomic
backgrounds tend to score low on these tests (as if you needed someone to
remind you of that) and therefore tend to get a low rating on the first
score. Ours is a 3.
However, if your school is doing well compared to schools with similar demographics,
you can get a higher second score. Our score is a 3 on this one, too. As
a new principal, I find this to be the scariest part of the job. How
can I lead our school to raising these scores? And, if I don't, what
will happen to me and to our school?
A year ago, I wouldn't have found this question to be the least bit threatening.
I was working in a comfortable central office administrative position in
an air-conditioned building where the copy machine always worked. (See my
background essay for more information about
my strange route to the principal's chair.)
I realize that my experience leading up to the principalship is quite different
from most. I have not been an Assistant Principal. I have not watched a
principal work on a daily basis. This is my weakness. On the other hand,
I have not had any poor modeling, and I'm not committed to any one
way of doing business. In fact, I've visited hundreds of classrooms and
at least 30 middle schools over the past several years. I think this makes
it harder for people to tell me that something cannot be done, because I've
probably SEEN it being done some place else. I see this as my unique strength.
I know I need to raise test scores at Hill this year. I also need to work
on our school climate, including student discipline, teacher morale, and
improving the physical school plant. With a little more than a month in
my new job, I can already tell you this: It's the hardest work I've ever
done. There have actually been days when I didn't even get a chance to turn
on my computer! It is totally exhausting, but I'm enjoying it. It's what
I wanted, what I dreamed of doing, and I'm going to give it everything I've
got.
Next time: What it's like for a new principal to get a newly redesigned
school up and running! And I might share my "beliefs" coming into
the principalship (as I gave them in writing to my staff), juxtaposed with
the reality of life as a new principal. Expect some humor!
Read next week's diary entry >>>
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her school
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COMMENTS
Dear Kristi,
We (my principal, a science teacher, and I) attended a wonderfu
week-long Young Adolescents Seminar at the University of
Wisconsin-Platteville this past summer and our project was
"Culture-building at our site." We developed a number of ideas
&
activities meant to bring our staff closer together and, in turn, will
help us to become better teachers for our students.
If you'd like me to send you our final report (jam-packed with excellent
"Culture-building" ideas!), please supply your address. A number
of the
ideas have been implemented already this school year & there is a
noticable difference in how our building "feels" this year.
Let me know if you're interested in our report.
Take care and have a productive first year as principal at your site!!
:)
Ralph A. Thiel
Carl Traeger Middle School
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54904