Sunday, April 21, 2013

Make Friends with the Principal...S/He's Lonely at the Top

Michelle Windell

CO


Ray, M. (2013). The same difference.School Library Journal, 59(2), 20-23.

This article is written by a guy who was a TL and is now an administrator. He speaks of his rare but positive relationships with principals while he was a TL, and of how the two jobs have many similarities. Most notably, unless they reach out to teachers, they work in isolation. The author also speaks of how TLs can help principals. Often times principals get a bad rap for policies that aren’t theirs; teachers tend to think of principals as the enemy conspiring some evil plot against them. TLs can help by offering to assist in the presentation of new policies (such as Common Core Standards) and to remind teachers of their availability as a resource. In addition to being of service to teachers and to principals, TLs can share with principals the good work they see going on in classrooms. TLs can help bridge this gap between administration and teachers, and move the whole school forward.

I liked this article because I do tend to generalize the principal's role as one of District Henchman. I find it empowering that I can move myself to the center of educational reform by forging a new kind of relationship with my administrators.

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