Can principals give relevant advice after they have been out of the classroom for years, or does it only matter how they lead? Should principals only be allowed 3 to 5 years before they are returned to the classroom for a year then reapply for another principalship if still interested in exercising administrative, managerial, motivational, and inspirational skills, talents, and strategies?
Although this idea may be cumbersome and even farfetched, how can it be ensured that principals stay effective in their knowledge when sought out by teachers? After all, there are only so many conferences, articles, discussions, workshops one can experience and even those will never add up to crucial classroom experience. Perhaps a return-to-the-classroom is not needed, assuming that principals can stay current through their teachers, but don’t they also need to rely on their own hands-on in classroom experiences to guide kids and teachers alike? Is there an answer?
If by self-assessment, peer-review, and supervisory evaluation, the consensus is that a principal no longer meets the needs of teachers, students, and school board, should they not be encouraged, supported, aided-and-abetted to re-enter classrooms, at least temporarily, to recharge their initial commitment to being the best principal possible?
Why not send them back to the classroom where there is a dire need for more teachers to reduce the often-debilitating ratio of one teacher to 30-40 students? It used to be that once a principal, always be a principal, but it seems it’s not so anymore. Principals have to show that they can still effectively do the work needed. Can principals give relevant advice after they have been out classrooms for too-many years? Yes, but that is dependent upon the principals themselves and whether they are willing to learn. If principals go into classrooms and work with teachers, they get perspectives that other principals don’t necessarily get. They see effective and ineffective teaching. If they don’t go into the classroom, they lose contact and context.
Furthermore, effective principals should be teachers, not necessarily directly to kids but definitely to staff. True, teaching teachers has its own challenges. However, if principals simply “run” meetings, they have lost sight of what it is to teach.
Does it matter how many years they taught, prior to taking hold of an administrative desk? Or does it only matter how they perform as leaders? Then again, there are teachers that have taught 20 years and are ineffective while others who have taught 1 to 5 years, are truly amazing. Teachers that are sponges, willing to grow, tend to excel faster no matter their age. The same should apply to administrators. Do teachers become ineffective after a number of years? It is hoped not. Again, this has more to do with mindsets and being learners. If teachers don’t “learn” anymore, then of course they would be out of touch, especially if they don’t place themselves in the way that kids learn today based on our changing world.
The dominant trust and belief must be that all stakeholders in schools, whether custodians, parents, students, secretaries, teachers, technicians, guidance counselors, psychologists or principals, and anyone else, have opportunities to be learners and teachers.
Double standards need to be abolished. Many teachers also need to be “re-trained”. Teaching, sadly for many is about comfort and routine. If this is true, and principals are imposed term limits, then, it’s only fair and effective to advocate that teachers need “reassignment” at the same rate, say every four or five years.
Education. especially the public kind delivered by school boards and/or Service Centres is an easy place to dig one’s wheel lines and ruts, and like trail-horses, stick to them yearafter-year. Essentially, this isn’t an issue of Principalship. It’s an issue of professionalism. What are principals and teachers doing as professionals to continue their own learning, in and out of school? Staying relevant takes work such as continual professional development, both formal and informal, getting into classrooms on an ongoing and regular basis, and not only observing but working with teachers.
If principals aren’t learners, it doesn’t matter how long they are administrators. learners will continue to evolve, adapt, stay relevant. The time principals spend learning with staff and students in classrooms is what is valued most.
Perhaps the real problem is continuous principal turnover, not principals staying too long. Studies show that average tenures of high school principals is only three years. Rapid turnover of principals leads to increased teacher turnover, problems recruiting and retaining best teachers, and increased reluctance of staff to commit to school improvement efforts.
Those seeking to improve schooling through efforts to increase teacher effectiveness are realizing that such efforts rely heavily on a principal’s capacity, stability, and good judgement to assess professionally and fairly.
A principal’s primary job is to drive the mission of the school and to develop the right culture that values, enfranchises and even inspires kids and staff in pursuing that mission. Man or woman, he or she has to manage all of the assembled skills and personalities to get a team to work together towards a common goal. That takes special talent Extraordinary Educational Leaders.
Renata Isopo renata@newsfirst.ca
