by Dr. Freda Doster
EOCS7450 University of Georgia
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During the course of the shadowing activity a variety of situations were observed. Situations included: Consultations with the assistant principal regarding scheduling issues, classroom walk-throughs to observe current curriculum implementation, discussions with custodial staff, a parent conference and several teacher conferences.
Of particular interest to the observer was a "data" book kept in each classroom. This initiative was implemented by the current adminstrator. Classroom teachers are asked to keep the following items in the notebook: lesson plans, unit plans, school policies, county policies and procedures, test data (school, county and state), democraphic data, and school data.
During a follow-up interview with the principal, the observer asked to following two questions:
1. What has been the most unexpected part of being a principal?
2. What has been the greatest challenge as a principal?
The principal indicated that the most unexpected thing had been the type of parental involvement. The previous experience of the principal had been with parents who are concerned about their children's education but also involved in meeting basic needs and therefore sometimes distracted. The current situation/economic status of the families has resulted in parents who are more involved in the day to day details of their children's education and who often have very high expectations of the school and its teachers.
The principal shared that the greatest challenge had been coming in to the school in the middle of the school year and trying to find a balance between her vision for the school and the vision of its current employees.
During the course of the shadowing experiences, the observer viewed both assistant principals interacting with their immediate supervisors as well as with faculty and staff. While the situations were similar, the responses and leadership styles of the assistant principals were vastly different.
Assistant Principal (1) was working on special education collaborative planning with both special education and regular education teachers. When talking with the immediate supervisor regarding the issues, this assistant principal took on a leadership role and had developed a clear plan for implementation.
Assitant Principal (2) was meeting with the school leadership team which is composed of both administrators as well as representatives from each of the instructional areas. When talking with the immediate supervior this assistant principal often deferred to the principal and seemed reluctant to propse an action plan.
During the follow-up interviews with the assistant principals, the observer asked the following question:
1. What do you feel is the most important skill of an assistant principal?
Assistant Principal (1) shared that they felt the most important skill was the ability to communicate with others and keep a level head in the process.
Assistant Principal (2) stated that they felt you had to develop a thick skin because there are always going to be people who don't like how you do something.