Things I Will Not Do When I'm a Principal -- Pt. 1

I've been meaning to start this list for a long time... When the day comes that I wear the title of principal (hopefully just a year from now), I hope that it will serve me as a reminder of what NOT to do so that I don't become one of *those* principals.

People say (usually *teachers* say) that when a person goes through "the change" from teacher to administrator, they become somehow different. Evil, actually. Former colleagues immediately sense the new change in status, and nothing is ever the same again.

With becoming an administrator comes a new perspective, and somehow that new perspective often completely replaces the previous teacher perspective so that the administrator appears out of touch to his or her staff and trust erodes while tension flourishes.

So, what will I not do? Here's the start of a list (and yes, all of these actually happened, though not necessarily to me!):

1. I will not refer to teachers as "those teachers" or "you people."

2. I will not take criticism from my staff personally (at least publicly!). I will not simply stop speaking to staff members who disagree with my decisions.

3. I will not retaliate on a teacher who, for whatever reason, is critical of me, by abusing my supervisory powers.

4. I will not appear or actually be completely disengaged (answering a cell phone call, checking email, sitting at a table several feet away and eating an apple, falling asleep...) during meetings.

5. I will not show up late to meetings, especially meetings involving parents.

6. I will not put my teachers in awkward situations or otherwise humiliate my teachers in front of parents.

7. I will not go nearly an entire year without observing a teacher's class and then pronounce judgment on the quality of their teaching based on a single 45 minute observation.

8. I will not make my teachers feel like I'm out to get them.

9. I will not sit in the office all day, prompting my staff to wonder what it is I do with my time.

10. I will not feel threatened by my outstanding superstar teachers, nor will I stunt their opportunities for professional growth or spread rumors that they're difficult to work with.

11. I will not greet my teachers with kisses on the lips. Or kisses period!

12. I will not have an inner circle of favorite teachers that I give insider information to while keeping the rest of the staff in the dark.

13. I will not be such a rare visitor to classrooms that when I do walk in the kids all ask the teacher, "Is that your dad?"


More to come in the future. I'll end on lucky 13. Any additional suggestions for the list?

EDIT 8/28/09: Thank you, Mark, for your brilliant suggestions:

14. You will not make the teachers call you "Big D."

15. You will not play "where's the bacon" with the staff.

And most importantly:

16. You will not be a jerkoff.

Those are very important to keep in mind.

Also, I'd like to add this one while it's fresh:

14. I will not, when one of my teachers is calling me to the carpet for ditching an important meeting, dismiss and discard what the teacher is saying by condescendingly telling the teacher, "Well, there is a lot of other work required to run a school."