The Real Job of Being a School Administrator

First week on the job, in the middle of the summer, all the contracts have been signed, the building is in good working order and all is right in your little world. Finally, you’re in a position where you can make a difference, where you get paid to make decisions. It is now that you are the weakest, and it is now that the president of the PTA will be knocking at your door. You will be so eager to get the ball rolling and make your mark that you will agree to anything. Be sure to get the facts up front.

Before you allow the PTA president to run an online school store out of the computer lab, every Friday afternoon; to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for your school, you need to ask yourself a question. In fact you need to ask yourself this question every time someone brings you a wonderful idea. Your new mantra should be, “This sounds like such a great idea, why hasn’t it already been done?” Why indeed? Well it is not because you’re the only one with half a brain that ever held your position. It just may be because your new school has a championship Math team that uses that computer lab every Friday afternoon, and fourteen students have won scholarships through the award winning program. And it happens to be run by the superintendent’s best friend and Math teacher extraordinaire, Ms. O’Brian. Oh, and by the way, the PTA president can’t stand Ms. O’Brian because her child did not make the Math team. Can you imagine the backlash if you had made that simple little decision without knowing all the facts?

The “fact” is, about nine out of the first ten people that visit your new office will be bringing you a great idea: a great idea that has been shot down by the last four Principals. Be careful about breaking the chain of rejection. In all fairness though, not all ideas are shot down because of potential ramifications, but simply because the last person in your big rolly chair did not want to add anything else to his / her plate. Just make sure you get the facts.

You know who you are, Mr. and Ms. Problem Solver. Every one of you believes that change is good or you wouldn’t be sitting in that new office with the smell of rectangular pizza wafting through the vent above your head. Just remember you are a member of a select few who believe this. There are teachers in your building who have been in the same classroom for thirty years and want to hear nothing of change. If they thought change was good they could have had your job twelve years ago. The majority of your faculty and staff are comfortable and do not go seeking ways to stir up their lives, much less their job.

The following would be an example of Mr. Fix It, futility. You could spend the summer months trying to streamline the faculty work center and be quite pleased with yourself at the result. But, it is entirely possible that your organized, efficient world of lamination and construction paper will offend some of your staff. So, here is the solution to the dilemma of Mr. Fix It. I am sure you have heard the saying, “if it isn’t broken don’t fix it.” Well the new saying for you, new administrator is, “if they haven’t pointed out that it is broken, then it isn’t broken.”

While we’re on the topic of fixing things, heed this warning. Early on in your career as an administrator you will be happy to provide a solution to many, if not all of the problems that come your way. It will make you feel good, important, needed… Your precious time will soon begin to dwindle as you make the rounds to fix paper jams and the recess schedule. You will find it far more effective if you inform your staff of one simple rule: Don’t bring me a problem without a possible solution to accompany it. This will save you valuable time, and if the solution chosen ever goes sour, then the parties involved had a part in the design. The weight of potential blame is spread out evenly.

Speaking of blame, be careful about what you put in writing. When emailing or sending out a memo use phrases like: “Teachers, as you recall in our informal hallway gathering you elected to….” or, “as per our phone conversation on the 12^th you suggested that …so I am implementing the…”

If you think that your new position in school administration will bring you fame and recognition, think again. Only those of your kind will be able to see the wonderful and hard work you are doing. By “those of your kind,” I am referring to fellow administrators.

Here’s an example of what I mean: You may have had to broker a ten year deal with the parks and recreation department to secure a soccer field for Fall Celebration, but all you’ll get from the faculty is a, “man this is a long day” grin, and maybe if they like you a piece of pumpkin pie left over from the bake sale.

Consider the individual teacher who comes to you and wants all her students to have two copies of the Science book. It weighs four and a half pounds, and students are reluctant to take it home, so she would like one for home and one for class. From the teacher’s perspective, it takes just a moment or two of your time to make a decision, as to whether or not it will be allowed. Behind the scenes, however, it was a different story. Four hours of deliberation regarding equality for all children, and Title 1 marked your decision. Then, when that particular Science class excels in Science, don’t go thinking that you will get credit for it. The teacher gets the kudos and all you get is an, “I told you it would help” smirk. Remember, you are a servant to your faculty / staff. How often does the waiter get credit for a great meal? On the other hand how often does the waiter get blamed if something is wrong with the meal? As my old pal Super Chicken used to say, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.” Did I just date myself?