My Day...My Desk

"Mom," my oldest daughter asked me after my second month in office...the principal's office, that is. "What do you do all day?"

As she had been away at college, she had not been privy to the day to day obstacles of a new administrator. I chuckled knowingly, looked her in the eye, and ...stopped. I wasn't sure.

Sensing my hesitancy, she clarified, "I mean, you are up here all the time. You must do something...important...for eight hours a day at least." She paused encouragingly.

I sat stunned. "Well, I ...looked at the student handbook." There. That was a hard job, too. It hadn't been revised since ditto machines and parachute pants. I looked at her triumphantly.

"All day? For the past two months?" She asked incredulously.

"It was a hard job!" I shot back defensively.

"Oh!" she politically dropped the subject.

The next day I went into the office and stopped by the secretary's desk.

"Leslie, what do I do all day? I mean, I work, right?"

Leslie knew everything. She could remind me of all I have done.

"Well, you revised the student handbook so that the kids can now wear parachute pants," she consoled.

"No, I have spent hours up here. What do I do?" I was nearing hysteria. Surely they didn't hire me just to proofread the handbook.

I decided then and there that I was going to journal my day. I would see just where my time went.
8:00 - 8:15 - I quietly reflect on the upcoming day and peruse my "To Do" list.
8:15 - 9:00 - The entire coaching staff barges in and demands to take the desk I promised them to the fieldhouse. I clean out all the drawers and watch helplessly as my only barrier is removed leaving my office, like my feelings of inadequacy - open and visible.

9:00 - 9:02 - I attempt to swipe all contents of my drawers into boxes and quickly kick them out of sight.

9:02 - 10:00 - A former student wants a tour of the new building and a talk of the good ol' days.

10:00 - 11:00 - Interview a prospective employee

11:00 - 11:05 - reflect on my feelings of guilt because I liked the applicant but couldn't hire her.

11:05 - 11:15 - Head football coach drops off a box of the stuff I left in the drawer I didn't clean out.

11:15 - 11:17 - I dig through the box hoping no girl stuff was in that drawer.

11:17 - 12:00 - I meet with various groups of people (cheerleaders, recently hired teachers) to answer questions, encourage, hand out keys and textbooks.

12:00 - 1:00 - I eat lunch at my desk and go over the proposed schedule that would turn out to be a flop and realize that the majority of my day is spent talking to people...answering questions...explaining procedures...calling the Chief Financial Officer (new title, same job)...making decisions....looking for leaks (in the ceiling)
I excitedly called my daughter and proudly stated, "I talk to people."

"Hmm..." she replied. "And they give you an office with your own bathroom for that?"
I then realized that something that I needed to examine (I guess that is a simplistic statement of inquiry, and this was before I even knew what that concept was) was that as an administrator, I needed direction on management vs. leadership balances. I have worked under very few principals who were able to balance these two emphases. I was told that I would last no more than five years at the most in this position due to burnout. Could I do something proactively to reduce the chances of burnout that leads to early retirement or career change?

Thus, an innocent, seemingly simple question from my daughter, that I needed to ask myself way before now, set me on a journey of inquiry, research, and reflection. If I am able to learn to balance my duties fairly between managerial duties, that are a must, and leadership duties that can be even more influential, I might be able to create a positive environment for all concerned.

My first duty on the road to a new and improved administrator....finding a desk.

To Blog or Not to Blog

After getting the job of principal toward the end of April, I sat expectantly in the superintendent's office for the first time feeling a bit apprehensive. He looked at me, hands steepled, and I immediately interrupted what he might have been preparing to say to me. (I have since learned to curb this impulse.)

"Where do I start?" I asked.

"What?" he asked, his brow furrowing with uncertainty and confusion. (I have come to recognize this as a now familiar response to my oft misguided inquiries. I would like to say it is because my well-researched questions of educational significance cause him to deeply ponder his response, but that would be a lie.)

"I mean, is there a website I could go to to learn the steps to transitioning from classroom teacher to instructional leader (principal)?"

He chuckled. (I have come to learn that this is a paternal-like trait that seems...patronizing...probably is...in a nice way, but I am ok with that, too.)
"There is no such site. You do like we all did and jump in."

Not the answer I wanted or needed. However, I did just that: I jumped in. I will go into that leap of faith in later blogs, but my initial question did lead me to google any and everything I could find on being a principal. Although my web-based meanderings took me on proverbial goose chases, I did happen upon a site that encouraged principals to blog....to the parents, the teachers, or to no one in particular. It almost struck me as an internet diary complete with reflection and feedback.

Now, unlike my eighth grade diary which my younger brother verbally published on more than one occasion, I found I welcomed the eyes of others. Blogging would be a chance to float some ideas out to co-workers and teachers and receive input - both positive and negative...hopefully in a constructive way.

Blogging would be a way to reach stakeholders with up-to-date information that they could choose to view-or not-with the added benefit of an uncluttered inbox.

Blogging would also give me a chance to reflect outloud and scratch the itch I have of needing to express...needing to create...and receiving feedback for my efforts.

Blogging satisfies all those needs.

And that is the answer.

Action Research...Really? Really!

One should approach the task of finding time for inquiry the same way one finds time to approach anything. It first and foremost must be placed as a priority. As a new administrator, I have found the idea of making time to do what is essential, being an instructional leader, must be a priority, yet it is often pushed to the back of more immediate and seemingly pressing problems that arise. The first days I spent in the role of principal felt unproductive. I could not quite articulate why this was. I made decisions, but they were not decisions of consequence. Yes, the cheerleaders could leave for camp earlier in the day, but was that how an administrator really made a difference? Most of the professionals I knew who chose a career in education did so in order to make a difference. Did my new role satisfy my initial goal of making a difference? I soon realized that if I continued on this path, my day would consist of answering procedural questions and putting out the proverbial fires. Nothing more.

That is where reflection proved to be necessary and beneficial. I had to prioritize and decide what my points of emphasis were going to be. The principal could be a manager who merely orders supplies and makes decisions. However, upon reflection, I realized that to be truly effective and honestly make a difference, I had to go beyond the day to day operational duties and step into the classrooms as a true instructional leader. I then identified areas of concerns that directly impacted instruction and instructional techniques and realized that to be effective, I needed more information. This is where the idea of action research comes into play.

While attending the TASSP conference in Austin, I made it a point to attend any session that dealt directly with the idea of time management and instructional issues. I didn’t have a name for it at that time, but I was attempting action research on the most basic level.

I guess one author put it best when he likened the principal's journey to be like being a taxi cab driver in New York City. You might encounter a few potholes, but you can navigate those if you keep your true destination in mind. I have decided to do just that.

The Name's the Game

When the assignment came up to create this blog, I was excited and quickly brainstormed on possible topics of interest as I hope to eventually tailor this site to my staff. It was easy to log on, and I clicked on "begin" only to be stuck on the very first step...Naming my blog.

Whoa! Hmm...Huh...Well...

I tried to approach this methodically. OK, it obviously needs to reflect the nature of the blog...education...Let's try the alliterative approach...Carrie's Corner...Principal's Privilege...Coahoma's Clever Column...Texas Twister...All were corny and brought back memories of past bulletin boards. Plus only one of these really has anything to do with education.

It needs to be something snappy and memorable so people can locate it without much thought. Let's try the pun approach. What about "It's the Principal of the Matter" or "Essential Elements"? Again, not quite me.

What about pulling in the mascot? Like "In the Doghouse" or "The Bulldog's Bite" or "The Dog's Snarl." Again, it just doesn't feel like me.

The problem I have is that I feel like a bit of my personality and voice must be present in the blogs I write. Although I do have to keep my audience in mind, I intend to limit my viewership to my staff and for the time being, my classmates.

And that is when I came up with a perfect title that contains a hint of sarcasm, a tinge of impropriety, but deep with meaning. My choice? "That's What She Said."

Yes, I know there is probably a questionable double entendre here, but I think what it does is it reminds me of my first big gaff as a new administrator and the very important lesson I learned, as the saying goes, the hard way.

Twenty-four hours after being crowned, christened, dubbed THE PRINCIPAL, I said something offhandedly to another teacher. I was a new administrator. I don't think the realization of what had happened to me less than a day ago had really sunk in. However, unlike the previous 27 years in education when I didn't think anyone listened or cared about my opinon, I discovered that my words now were not just listened to, they were amplified. The parent found out about my remark and let me know. I hadn't had a call like that from a parent in years. I had just been baptized.

I was horrified and sheepishly went to the superintendent to confess and repent. He kind of chuckled and said, "I think you are learning early on that what Carrie said as a teacher is interpreted a bit differently than what Carrie now says as an administrator." It was a good lesson to learn early on, and I now carefully measure my words.

Every now and again I slip, but for the most part I don't want to cringe when I hear someone say, "that's what she said."