Dear Principal,
I'm sure you are just as excited as I am for the upcoming school year. The summer has been full of learning for me and I am definitely recharged and ready to do this!
There are however some things I'd like you to know and some things I will need from you this school year. Please don't take this as me telling you how to do your job, as your job is very difficult and encompasses much that I probably don't understand. Please read this with an open-mind and remember that I love my job and I aim to do what's best for our students.
1). I'm planning to try some new things this year that I've learned this summer as well as just wasn't able to fit in last year.
I need you to understand that when I try these new things they may not go over well. There may be confusion in my classroom and it might just be a total disaster. But, I do promise to learn and improve from what I'm trying. Having said that, if you come in to do an observation and I'm trying something new, I need you to understand I'm taking a risk. And, just as we tell our students, it's OK to fail sometimes because that's an important part of the learning process.
2). If we are going to be gathered for a staff meeting, please do everything in your power to keep it positive and constructive.
I know the hot trend now is to empower building staff and to allow them to run and control meetings in an effort to get buy-in and to get ownership in the process. I completely agree with this approach, but at the end of the day, you're our leader and I assume you were put in this position because you have a specific skill-set and expertise that allows you to move our building to consensus. Sometimes when teachers lead the meeting, not all voices are heard and the meeting can become disconnected and confrontational. We need you to be present and we need you to ensure this doesn't happen. Most people don't enjoy confrontation, so the idea that we will 'police' ourselves isn't always sound. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a meeting high-jacked by a personal agenda while building administration sits by and does nothing.
3). If I make a mistake, please let me know. If someone else makes a mistake, please let them know and not me.
There's an epidemic in leadership that undermines the integrity of leaders all around the world. It's simple... don't reprimand and lecture everyone about a problem that you are having with only a few people. As Todd Whitaker would say, don't use the 'blanket monkey' to avoid dealing with those few individuals who are causing the problem. When you speak to the entire group about an issue, we all start to second guess ourselves and worry if you are talking to us. Do everyone a favor and increase the chances of eliminating the problem by going directly to the source. Your entire staff will appreciate this, I promise you.
4). Push me in my thinking and help me grow as an educator.
This is difficult for some people, but it comes with your job, so hopefully you can handle it. I need you to push back on my ideas and some of things I'm doing in my class. I need you to help me grow and develop as an educator. I need you to be an instructional leader in our building. Now, I'm not saying I want to be completely torn and ripped apart when I share an idea, but push me and question me and make me squirm just a little bit to justify my idea and approach. This will help flush out my true goals and objective and create clarity in what I'm trying to achieve. I might not like you at the moment, but I will respect you in the end.
5). We are all busy and we all have a full plate. Help keep my plate full of what matters most.
Yes, there are things you will be told we need to do from the 'higher-ups.' Yes, there are things we need to do to stay in compliance and stay legal. Yes, there are pieces of information and data you need to help in your decision making process. But, let's not forget why we are here and what our primary focus should be. Help me and others in our building to keep the focus on student learning. Avoid as much as possible asking us for mundane paperwork and menial tasks that steer us away from what our ultimate focus should be. We will need your protection and coorperation here because it's very easy to say it will only take a few moments. Each time we say it will take just a few moments a small puppy somewhere cries because we all know that nothing takes just a few moments. Also, all these 'few moments' tasks seem to pile up quite quickly.
Thanks for taking time to listen and please know we are all looking forward to a great and wonderful school year!
Thank you,
Your favorite teacher...
I'm sure you are just as excited as I am for the upcoming school year. The summer has been full of learning for me and I am definitely recharged and ready to do this!
There are however some things I'd like you to know and some things I will need from you this school year. Please don't take this as me telling you how to do your job, as your job is very difficult and encompasses much that I probably don't understand. Please read this with an open-mind and remember that I love my job and I aim to do what's best for our students.
1). I'm planning to try some new things this year that I've learned this summer as well as just wasn't able to fit in last year.
I need you to understand that when I try these new things they may not go over well. There may be confusion in my classroom and it might just be a total disaster. But, I do promise to learn and improve from what I'm trying. Having said that, if you come in to do an observation and I'm trying something new, I need you to understand I'm taking a risk. And, just as we tell our students, it's OK to fail sometimes because that's an important part of the learning process.
I know the hot trend now is to empower building staff and to allow them to run and control meetings in an effort to get buy-in and to get ownership in the process. I completely agree with this approach, but at the end of the day, you're our leader and I assume you were put in this position because you have a specific skill-set and expertise that allows you to move our building to consensus. Sometimes when teachers lead the meeting, not all voices are heard and the meeting can become disconnected and confrontational. We need you to be present and we need you to ensure this doesn't happen. Most people don't enjoy confrontation, so the idea that we will 'police' ourselves isn't always sound. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a meeting high-jacked by a personal agenda while building administration sits by and does nothing.
3). If I make a mistake, please let me know. If someone else makes a mistake, please let them know and not me.
There's an epidemic in leadership that undermines the integrity of leaders all around the world. It's simple... don't reprimand and lecture everyone about a problem that you are having with only a few people. As Todd Whitaker would say, don't use the 'blanket monkey' to avoid dealing with those few individuals who are causing the problem. When you speak to the entire group about an issue, we all start to second guess ourselves and worry if you are talking to us. Do everyone a favor and increase the chances of eliminating the problem by going directly to the source. Your entire staff will appreciate this, I promise you.
4). Push me in my thinking and help me grow as an educator.
This is difficult for some people, but it comes with your job, so hopefully you can handle it. I need you to push back on my ideas and some of things I'm doing in my class. I need you to help me grow and develop as an educator. I need you to be an instructional leader in our building. Now, I'm not saying I want to be completely torn and ripped apart when I share an idea, but push me and question me and make me squirm just a little bit to justify my idea and approach. This will help flush out my true goals and objective and create clarity in what I'm trying to achieve. I might not like you at the moment, but I will respect you in the end.
5). We are all busy and we all have a full plate. Help keep my plate full of what matters most.
Yes, there are things you will be told we need to do from the 'higher-ups.' Yes, there are things we need to do to stay in compliance and stay legal. Yes, there are pieces of information and data you need to help in your decision making process. But, let's not forget why we are here and what our primary focus should be. Help me and others in our building to keep the focus on student learning. Avoid as much as possible asking us for mundane paperwork and menial tasks that steer us away from what our ultimate focus should be. We will need your protection and coorperation here because it's very easy to say it will only take a few moments. Each time we say it will take just a few moments a small puppy somewhere cries because we all know that nothing takes just a few moments. Also, all these 'few moments' tasks seem to pile up quite quickly.
Thanks for taking time to listen and please know we are all looking forward to a great and wonderful school year!
Thank you,
Your favorite teacher...