I have been an educator for ten years. Nine of those years were spent in the classroom at grades two, five, seven, and eight, and I am currently completing my first year as an elementary assistant principal. The decision to leave my classroom and make the transition into administration was not easy for me. I loved teaching, and worried that I would not find the same satisfaction in an administrative position. Through the course of this school year, I've found that administration brings a different set of challenges and struggles, but it also brings a satisfaction exclusive to the position.
One of the biggest adjustments for me was in the dramatic increase in information I need to know and react to. As a classroom teacher, I knew my twenty students well. I knew their stories, their backgrounds, and their situations, and I worked diligently to make my classroom a safe and comfortable place for them to learn. As an administrator, I know those same stories, backgrounds, and situations for 327 students. There have certainly been times during the year that I've felt "the weight of the world" as I attempted to help students through difficult situations.
Another challenge came in the scheduling of my time. As a teacher, your day is structured and you follow a consistent schedule. Consistency is not part of my day to day routine as an administrator. I knew coming into the position that a visible presence was necessary. I wanted to be play an active role in monitoring hallways, the lunchroom, and playground, and I wanted to be a part of instructional planning with grade levels. I make time to be in classrooms as often as possible, but disciplinary needs, staffings and other meetings, and unexpected events change my daily schedule. I've certainly had to learn to prioritize and commit to the elements of administration I know must be present to effectively manage a school.
I am fortunate to have made the transition into administration with a staff that I've worked with for the past five years. Because they knew me as a classroom teacher, we had already established a trusting relationship. The staff has been extremely supportive and encouraging, and we've accomplished many things this year because of it.
I began this school year knowing what procedures and processes have worked well in the past and which needed some adjustment to be more effective. While the work of modifying and simplifying procedures continues, I feel that we've managed to maximize teachers' collaboration and planning time this year. I reduced the amount of duties classroom teachers needed to cover and organized and streamlined processes to reduce paperwork and tedium.
Overall, I feel that this year has been successful. It's not been without challenges, but no position in education ever is. As a teacher, I've looked back on my first year in the classroom to see things I would do differently. I have no doubt I will do the same as I gain more experience in administration as well. I can say with certainty that no two days are ever the same, and I've learned to expect the unexpected. At the end of the day, I can still say that I love what I do, and this step into administration is one I'm glad I took.
