This educator of over twenty-two years and in my twelfth as an admin is very happy that this article is not “am I ready to be an administrator?” but “is being an administrator right for me?”
You may have the skills to take a new position, but you are never truly “ready” for many things in life. Whether that is being a parent, being married, being an administrator, etc. until you are in the role, you don’t know what it will take. I would say that with almost twelve years as a high school administrator, we are not always ready for what is thrown our way.
But the question: “is being an administrator right for me?” is a question that we can discuss, as there are certain traits and skills that make for a successful administrator.
Self-Assessment
Let’s consider first the biggest question you have to answer: Are you ready to leave the classroom or what you are doing now?
For me, after ten years in the classroom, I was ready for another challenge. This author taught technology applications for ten years at the middle school level, and my students changed every semester.
Thus, I taught my content twenty times, and I was ready for a new challenge. Over the previous three years, my principal had tabbed me for leadership jobs on the campus and for subbing as the principal someday. Why, because he saw in me the skills needed for the job.
As I sat in first-year assistant principal training provided by our regional service center, the leader explained why he led the classroom, and this helped me confirm my decision. He saw himself as a multiplier. As a department chair, he could help a few teachers. As an assistant principal he could help more teachers. As a principal, he could help even more teachers. You get the idea; he later went on to be a successful superintendent.
You will need your own reason to leave the classroom, but these are just some examples why it could be time for you to do this. Need another challenge? Can you help teachers grow? Can you help students get on the right path? Do you have instructional and classroom management strategies that set you apart? If any of this is a “yes,” you have answered the first question.
This answer may also be your “why.” When things get tough, you get yelled at or a parent wants to take your job…you must remember “why” you are doing this. Know your “why”!
Now let’s consider other factors in deciding if being an administrator is right for you.
Leadership Skills
What have you done that shows evidence that you can lead and work well with your colleagues? Have you been a department head? Have you organized major events on your campus? Have you mentored teachers on the campus? You have to have the ability to create consensus and lead people toward a goal.
For example, as an administrator, you may be responsible for leading the English department or special education, holding 504 meetings, etc. In those situations, you may have to move a group of teachers toward some instructional goals, find the professional development they need, and help them through their troubles. You may have done this as a teacher also, but leading people is something you will do every day.
Decision-Making/Problem-Solving Skills
As I write this, I am sitting in a conference, and the speaker just posted a quote, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”
This applies to your decision-making skills and problem-solving skills. There will be times where you will need to make split-second decisions about safety or immediate situations, and you will need to have good judgment for what is best for students in those moments.
The other side of decision-making and problem skills is your ability to follow procedures and a set of decision-making tools. There will be times when you will use multiple data points to make instructional decisions. There will be times when you will use the student handbook, a student’s history, and student statements to make a disciplinary decision.
All of these things are based on what is best for the students. Your decision-making and problem-solving will need to revolve around what is best for the student or students.
One more note on problem-solving: when you move into administration, all of a sudden, you are supposed to have all the answers. You are supposed to know what to do with the most difficult parent and student situation. You will not have all the answers, so don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know, and I’ll get back to you.” That is part of being a leader. The answers and “how to” will be turned over to you.
Communication
Since you are now in a more prominent position what you say and do will be scrutinized and analyzed to another degree. Jokes you once made to your friends may now have a different perception. Make sure your grammar and spell checker are working correctly in your emails. How you address the community at school events and on the phone with parents will be important. You may have to communicate your empathy with a parent and tell them their students will be in DAEP for 45 days.
Time Management
During the course of the day of an administrator, you may have department meeting, a meeting with a parent or two, morning duty, lunch duty, afternoon duty, discipline to hand out, walkthroughs and observations to be done, game day duty, a teacher cry on your shoulder, a student cry on your shoulder…all in one day. To be a successful administrator, you have to be able to juggle this. Not to mention you are likely a parent and spouse also!
Stress Management
This is a good category to follow the time management section because after the day mentioned above, you might be a little stressed or a little mentally tired after that day. You have to have a way or two that allows you to handle the pressure and stress that comes with this job.
Whether that is exercise, turning the email and phone off at 7 p.m. at night, totally unplugging when you take vacations, or binging something on Netflix each night, you have to have a way that mentally and physically the stress does not overpower you. Being an administrator is a weighty job. You will take on the burdens of your staff and students just by your nature. You will need to make sure you are well to be able to make sure others are well also.
Challenges and Rewards
The challenges of being an administrator are many. You have to know or find instructional answers, parents will be calling, kids will be in the lunchroom, dismissal will happen every day, you will need to be in the classroom, you will need to be in teacher/parent conferences, and students will need to be disciplined. The challenges will come at you from different directions. The great thing about challenges is that they lead to rewards.
The rewards of this job include but are not limited to:
- Helping that teacher that can now help students in their room behave the way they are supposed to.
- Help the teacher find the instructional strategy that will help students to read the for the first time.
- Help the student who has no discipline at home come to school and be in every classroom every day and learn.
- Create a major event happen at school that bring parents on campus that have never been there.
- Help a school run smoothly so that teachers and staff can do their job to help students.
Granted, some of these rewards will be tangible, and they will not be seen for years, but the rewards are in helping others (students and adults) be successful. If that is your goal, you can be an administrator.
Am I Prepared for the Lifestyle Change?
Your perspectives will change when you become an administrator, especially if you take a job in the same building where you taught. If you take an administrator job in the building where you taught, you may now be writing up your friends for their adult behavior. This is not an easy shift. Just something to consider if you are looking at this possibility.
The principal that I most try to pattern myself after made it clear to me before I started in administration that the adults will cause you more problems than the kids. Know that you will have to deal with more difficult adult behavior than student behavior. This is where your ability to work with others will come and be your stronghold. All of those problems that were not solved before, you should be able to solve them.
Also, as an administrator, especially on the high school level, there are more games and banquets than you can imagine. There are times, especially in the spring, where on four out of five evenings you will be at a game or event and have to hurry home to help put your kids to bed (I have a great wife)!
The next morning, after dropping the boys off at school, I will have a before-school meeting with a parent or department, etc.
The hours do increase, the responsibility will increase, but you will have the skills to handle it. Have a good support team (like my wife), take your kids to the games and events and include them, and know that your visibility at events is valuable to the community.
Different Administrator Roles
The most traditional administrative roles are principals and assistant principals. Some schools have morphed the assistant principal role into a more academic role as an academic dean over more instruction versus the operations and discipline for an assistant principal. This really depends on your district and the size of the schools you are working in.
There are also some other administrative roles that teachers can move into. Director roles at districts like:
- Special Education Director
- 504 Director
- Career and Technology Director
These are examples where you can begin as an administrator without being an assistant principal or principal first.
No matter the role, the name of the game is doing what is best for students, serving others, and working well with others. It is a simple formula but harder to achieve than the sounds. You will use your skills, skills you learn from others, and you will find the best answer.
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