The transition from teacher to administrator has been exhilarating. I was used to going into my classroom everyday and teaching the snot out of the curriculum. I stayed out of work politics and was friendly enough to make allies but very few friends. I did my job and rarely made a fuss and preferred to be forgotten quite frankly. But now, I'm in charge. I have to be in the know, be visible, be vocal and make decisions that impact everyone. Out of my comfort zone for sure.
I'm just wondering if other people who made the transition had any type of training. Should I be asking more questions, observing other leaders, attending specific conferences. I feel like most of what I do is on the job, learn as you go type training. But are there other opportunities to learn that I've missed? I have learned an incredible amount these first few months as an administrator but I know I have a long way to go. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Patrice-Leadership can be a very isolated profession. I would strongly encourage you to create networks of support. Some people do that virtually. Many people do that face-to-face. As a principal, I had a group that met for lunch monthly. The meetings were very informal, but also very beneficial. Those supports can be your survival lines!
ReplyDeletePatrice, I totally feel where you are coming from and I am not even in an administrative role such as AP or Principal. I will say, however, I do believe this is a type of job that comes with experience. One thing I have attempted to do is to ensure, through this GSU program, I am shadowing my Assistant Principal and Principal throughout the day to get that hands on training. If you leave it up to just theory and performance indicators, we will never be prepared to be effective leaders.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dr. Sauers and Michael. I have started being more intentional building relationships with other APs in the district when I go to meetings. I also joined a group for new APs! Thanks for the advice, I have a lot of work to do.
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