Challenges of Staying in your Original School

By -

This past Saturday sparked some very interesting topics. One that was touched upon briefly was the challenges of the “legacy”. I wanted to learn more about that topic from the veterans out there. When one gets hired as an assistant principal it is either at an entire new school or district or in the very school that they were currently at. I would love to hear more of your personal anecdotes on the positives and negatives of each. As a legacy we know you already are aware of the climate (plus), the inside scoop on teachers’ instructional abilities (plus or can that lead to bias?), and we also know it makes a sticky situation for now having a different role from the colleagues you called friends. Can you tell about the other nuances that one may not consider when thinking about taking a position in their current school.

For the individuals who have gone to the new buildings you get a fresh start (plus) and the adventure of belonging to a new family/community (plus). You have to learn the climate/culture, build new relationships while making sure you aren’t undermined. What are the pros and cons? Is there anyone who has done both? Thanks for sharing.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 29, 2015 at 2:55 AM

    I'm glad you asked these questions Jenae. Of course I'm in the same boat as you, so I can't really respond, but I'm curious to see hear the advice. It would definitely help if you're faced with the decision to take an open position at a different school versus holding off for a potential opening at your own. Fresh, clean slate, or comfort in familiarity (and the pros and cons of each)?

    ReplyDelete
  2. TraciNovember 2, 2015 at 6:53 AM

    I have not been in this situation, but one of my co-workers/team members became the assistant principal at our school. As a matter of fact, she was placed as the administrator over her old teammates. In one way, it was a positive change. She already knew our personalities, the culture of the school, the principal, and all other ins/outs of the school and personnel. The negative was she used to be a colleague and people expected her to be lenient because they were friends. This put her in quite a predicament. Once people left and new people came in, it became easier. I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons. For me, I believe it may be too much

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Graduation/Promotion Task Force at Hampton High School

By -
Hampton High School being in it's second year of existence added a senior class this year and it has been found that many students eligible to graduate this year are in need of more than 8 credits which could be earned in the fall and spring semesters.  I have been tasked by my principal to lead a task force that will identify these eligible students and put into place strategies that will allow them to earn the additional credits and graduate this year.  Working with our lead counselor, graduation coach, department chairs, and other members of the administrative team students have been identified.  At our second meeting the task force used a variety of data to identify factors that have led to students falling behind credit wise on their path to graduation.  These factors could be; academic, behavioral, attendance, or a variety of all three. As the year progresses the graduation/promotion task force will be identifying underclassmen that are in danger of not being ...
Read more

Specific Role(s) of an AP

By -
In  my school, we have a total of three Assistant Principals. One does curriculum and testing while the other two handle discipline. Is this normal for a high school of approximately 1600 students? I am concerned about the role (pigeon hole) of our Assistant Principals. I would love to learn all of the roles of our APs but I feel like if I became an AP in this setting I would never do anything more than discipline or curriculum. I would love some feedback on the various roles some of you APs play in your schools.  
Read more

Disproportionate Impact of K-12 School Suspension

By -
Do you agree with the statement that dismissing a student for bad behavior in school often simply pushes that behavior out into the world? Majority of students in the Southern States that are suspended from public schools are black. Some people have referred to some schools that have a high suspension rate as "Prison Pipelines". Many districts are incorporating Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) to decrease the behavior students are typically written up for. PBIS schools have shown a decrease in the amount of students being suspended.  So what are school's role in addressing the diverse needs of our students and families that they serve. We cannot simply tolerate bad behavior in our schools to prevent suspension, but how do we put in supports that allow us to remediate behavior and provide students with a better opportunity?
Read more