From One Hurdle to the Next.....Lurching Along

Have you ever been in a situation where you are fully aware that a task has to be completed and yet you are also fully aware that if you complete that task you will be very disappointed?  Well- that’s where I am currently.  I made it through mid-term exam scheduling hell and now am on to the next hurdle of completing my walk-throughs for tenured teachers and second and third observation cycles for the non-tenured bunches.

Walk-throughs are an interesting notion…they are unannounced and yet I go out of my way to attempt to schedule them for times I feel would be beneficial to the person I am observing.  What have I discovered?  Well, 1) I have discovered that the first formal observation (which was announced, may I add) was great! I was able to see my team in action, demonstrating their abilities to the hilt and it gave me a wonderful feeling of knowing that our students are in very competent hands. And 2) Unannounced walk-throughs have given me another glimpse into the classroom altogether.  Now don’t get me wrong- I was in the classroom for fourteen years and completely understand the notion of days gone horribly wrong…but to see that in more than a couple of classes, on separate occasions,  has taken me off guard.

What can I say when I go into a classroom to observe an employee and they don’t realize I am there and are braiding hair and having discussion not at all relating to the content they are intended to support? How do I word that in their observations? What do I do when a co-teacher arrives ten minutes late to a class with a cup of coffee in her hand and tries to act nonplussed when she realizes I’m in the room WAITING for her?!  These are just a couple of vexing examples I can provide, but it leaves me deflated and cynical. 

I know that these educators are competent and dynamic, I witnessed it on the first “dog and pony show”…but how have they become so lax in their preparation and planning? Is it because they feel that as a first year administrator I won’t call them out on this behavior?  Is it because I used to be their peer that they feel they don’t have to be as alert and prepared as they had to be with other supervisors? Or is it that the prior supervisors have allowed this behavior to exist and now it’s the status quo?  If anything, I know that I am more observant for these reasons and perhaps they don’t realize that…

So, as I lurch forward with these walk-throughs,  I will be sure to make my opinions of their most recent behaviors known and reinforce my expectations for them.  Here’s the part that my fellow administrators can tell me that they “told me so”.  And just when I get so frustrated that I can’t take it anymore, we have a break where I can regroup and plan for their return…

Until next time,

Caroline

Starting the Journey, Building Bridges

-by Caroline Goss, 
Associate Principal

“How do you like it?” and “Do you think you want to come back to the classroom?” these are the questions I am fielding practically every day in my new position as Associate Principal.  I spent fifteen years in the classroom as a Spanish teacher and they were great.  I knew in my heart of hearts that I would not be able to feel satisfied in the classroom for thirty years.  I tried. Could I picture myself retiring out of the classroom as many of my beloved teachers had done?  How did they do it? I just knew at some point I would have to move on. But where? Did I have the inner strength to follow through with it?

Picture it: small town, rural America. The year was 1996. There was an eager young lady set on leaving this place and never coming back.  College and new adventures that would make sure that Cambridge would be a distant memory.  Now fast forward to the year 2000, and that same girl went out to see the world (This included not only the metropolis of greater Plattsburgh, but much of Europe and Central America as well) and made the conscious decision that her little town was really great!  She moved back, took a teaching job at her alma mater, bought a house in the district she worked and got married to her hometown sweetheart. How idyllic.

As the years in the classroom evolved and she was able to work out many of those “rookie” teaching kinks, she began to see the operations of the school with a much wider lens. Yes, she loved her students and enjoyed the extracurricular activities she planned for them in an effort to share her love of culture and language, but she also saw the revolving door of administrators and felt that her students needed some consistency in that respect as well. So, she took it on; another degree and aspirations of leading a school that she has been a part of for over two decades.  She had no plans to actively seek a role as administrator right away.  She secretly wanted to enjoy some more time in the classroom, but if the opportunity presented itself, and the timing was right, she would apply like any other candidate and hopefully fulfill her aspiration of becoming an effective leader in small town, rural America.

So here we are- My first year as Associate Principal at my alma mater. And I have to say- I love it!  My mentors are very supportive and we keep each other entertained, I still am able to maintain a relationship with my former students, and the incoming students see that ease of mind and continue on with it. So while my former colleagues may ask me if I like my new role and some see it as crossing over to “the dark side” and tell me how they could never do it, I view it no differently than teaching Math or Kindergarten.  I could never do those things, but sincerely appreciate the work that my colleagues do in that arena.

Many administrators warned against becoming an administrator in your home district, claiming that the move could create a lot of sceptics among my former colleagues and that I should be ready to not have as many close relationships with the people with whom I shared classroom experiences.  While I agree, that can be an issue; I felt as though I had been working so hard over the past few years to be a school leader, that I could do it. I also realize that not many other people could, but I was able to find my inner strength to not only carry through with that plan, but to have that plan become a more grassroots effort, also had some positive aspects.  I know the students and went to school with many of their parents and family members.  That should count for something right? Not to mention I have a very clear understanding of the expectation placed on the district both academically and financially. How could this not be a win-win situation?  I suppose time will tell.  In the meantime, I am very busy with writing observations and those meetings…man, there are a lot of them. It’s a whole different experience, but I know I am ready for it! It was time for me to move on and I have to say, there are no regrets.

Disseminating Best Practices

Our "Principals" of Effective Leadership

This year our three building level leaders will be sharing their insights into a distributed leadership model as well as best practices developed and chronicling the mentoring and transition of our newest building level leader from classroom teacher, teacher leader to Associate Principal.


So we are proud to introduce our "Principals" of Effective Leadership:

Caroline G., Associate Principal
Colleen L., Elementary Principal
Tammy S., Junior/Senior High Principal