Helping the new administrator to take wing
Even an old teacher can be taught new tricks. This evening, I attended (in the sense of a fly on the wall) a presentation where Powerpoint was actually used in an informative manner. By an educator.
In the real world, only a few people actually are in control of their working world. The captain of a ship is one example; put enough water around you on all sides and nobody is going to interfere. Ditto for… well, the only other example that comes quickly to mind is the principal of a public school. One person that actually has responsibility for hundreds of others, young and old alike. Each with their story to tell.
However, principals are not born to the trade. Often, they rise to the top of the pot after time spent as teachers, in full delusion that running a classroom and running a school have a common denominator. Not so; on the day a principal gets the ring of keys, their life is radically altered. All problems stop at your door, and new principals are never fully prepared for the culture shock. From the leaking toilet to the running nose, all problems are now yours.
The presentation this evening demonstrated how a model from the business world has a place in the care and feeding of young administrators. A full program of mentoring, with planned, sequenced sessions involving willing experienced people can allow a school board to bring a new hire into the mainstream in much less time, with a higher retention rate. This is good.
I learned that the methodical care and structured training does make a difference. Now I want to know more.
