Shadowing Assistant Principal
8:00 – check e-mail
8:15 – Discuss preplanning arrangements with principal
8:45 – transfer files from laptop
9:09 – call technology for help with the shared drive
9:14 – hang signs infront of classes with teachers’ names
10:40 – spoke to principal about test scores comparing them with other schools in the county
10:57 – print activity schedule to copy for teachers
11:08 – work on emergency plan to give to teachers
11:21 – call to order sign for new teacher
11:23 – continue to work on emergency plan
11:34 – secretary came in with information about the busses
11:35 – continue to work on emergency plan
12:30 – lunch
1:00 – check e-mail; secretary came in to inform that binders and divders for emergency plan are in
1:04 – look online for a book
1:14 – send an e-mail
1:24 – spoke to counselor about a child
2:10 – spoke to counselor about plan for preplanning
2:25 – make PowerPoint on differentiating instruction
2:46 – technology person came in to work on computer
3:05 – continue to work on PowerPoint on differentiating instruction
4:00 – leave
The thing I like best about being an assistant principal is the involvement with curriculum and the training of teachers. Working with teachers through professional learning is very rewarding. I feel the role of the assistant principal is to make it easier for teachers to teach. Therefore, I do many things for teachers in order for them to focus on the task of teaching students. For example, each year I provide teachers with a copy of their classroom test data already disaggregated. Instead of teachers disaggregating the test data themselves, they can use the time saved to study the results and use the scores to guide their instruction. Every work day of an assistant principal brings new challenges. While frustrating at times, the varied challenges help to keep me interested. There is never a dull moment in the life of an assistant principal!
The most difficult part of being an assistant principal is the amount of paperwork. I have to make sure that I always stay organized. This paperwork ranges from discipline referrals to Title 1/EIP documents. Meeting time lines are also a challenge. Many items are due to the board office every month. Trying to meet these timelines, while at the same time deal with issues that come up throughout the school day is hard. Multitasking is a must in administration. Parents can also be a challenge for the assistant principal. Parents at MBES are very involved and demanding. Balancing the concerns of parents with the needs of teachers can be frustrating. The assistant principal often has to play referee between the two. Reminding both the parent and the teacher that we are all here to do what’s best for the child helps. Getting into the classroom is very difficult. I love to spend time in classrooms, watching teachers facilitate instruction. I learn so much from watching teachers and the wide range of teaching styles that they use. Unfortunately, the many tasks required of an assistant principal on a daily basis prevent me from being in the classroom as much as I would like.
When I first went into teaching I did not think I would go into administration. I made a late career change. I did not begin teaching until I was thirty- two. I loved teaching and getting to bond with the students in my classroom. Watching the “light bulb” go off in my students’ heads was thrilling. However, as time went bye, I realized that the opportunities to impact more children was through administration. Unlike the classroom where I may have seventeen to twenty-five or six students, administration allows me to impact the lives of every student in the building. Do I occasionally miss the classroom? Yes, I do! But the work I am able to do as a school administrator makes up for it.