Popular 8th Grader as Principal by Penelope Swenson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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Years ago, I was an assistant principal of a junior high school. Most kids liked me. They often asked me to join in games at lunch or talk with them as I moved about the campus. When I entered a classroom, however, the kids were quiet, waiting for the sign. Was I there to nab a culprit? Did I have an announcement? When I whispered to the teacher, “Just stopping by,” the students ceased to pay attention to me. I was part of the school milieu, but in their classroom, the teacher was in charge. Most of the kids knew me as an adult who cared about them, yet they did not mistake me for their peer.
Increasingly, we are seeing what one highly regarded secondary teacher I know calls “the popular 8th grader” as principal or assistant principal. When he or she enters the classroom, there are call outs of “Hey Ms. J” and “Yo Mr. Jerry” instead of quiet. This type of administrator responds approvingly to the calls from the students. The teacher’s lesson is disrupted and difficult to get back on track.
When a student is sent to the office of Ms. J or Mr. Jerry by a teacher using the referral process, the discipline often is limited to “Hey, you know Ms. Adams is uptight. Just stay out of her way.” The student is sent back to class it is as if nothing happened, because no discipline did happen. The student knows Ms. Adams is not respected by Mr. Jerry. Ms. Adams, who had already given that student three short classroom detentions for his disruptive burping, inappropriate classroom language, and acting out, also knows she is not respected by Mr. Jerry.
Opportunities are lost. Mr. Jerry (or the equal opportunity Ms. J) may even mention how teachers should be friends with their students. Mr. Jerry prides himself on being ‘buds’ with the kids. A gulf is established with the teachers as they know they are frequently seen as the problem, not a major part of the solution. (Sure, there are poor teachers and inexperienced teachers. There are even teachers who may be “the” problem. BUT, teachers are the greatest resource in the school for improving student learning. They must be a huge part of any solution in school improvement.)
A recent conversation with a highly successful principal of what many would classify as a large, difficult secondary school, the principal noted, “I’m there for the kids, but I’m not their friend or peer. That is not what they need. They can count on me to do what is best for them, yet they know I am an adult, not their buddy.” She went on to say she worries about those buddy principals as they are not fulfilling their responsibilities to the students, faculty, and parents.
A young teacher with one of the buddy duos of principal and assistant principal was told he must keep a student in his classroom who repeatedly had made threats toward him and others in the class. There was no disciplinary action taken, other than the student telling the AP that she would be good. The student was in the office because she used the word “kill” and derogatory language, both in graffiti and verbally, toward the teacher on multiple occasions, yet she did not even need to apologize to that teacher. When she reentered his classroom after her office visit, she smirked and showed no concern about “being good” as she started immediately to make inappropriate comments.
In this case, the teacher did not feel supported and he did not feel safe. He noted that few students felt safe, particularly those who had tried to help and even protect him. He questioned how he could teach his large classes without a sense of safety for himself and his students. Ultimately, he quit.
If the situation in the earlier paragraphs were just one teacher having such an issue, we might look at the teacher as the problem. In that same school, however, numerous teachers reflected that they had similar problems and no support. One said she would quit if she were not the sole support of her family. None of those teachers believed there was any administrator with whom they could speak about the problems they faced.
This is not a difficulty with only that school. Similar stories are being told throughout California and across the nation. In an article from the American School Board Journal (Alford, 2008), a survey reports teachers are most concerned about Leadership, empowerment, facilities and resources, time, and professional development. The author notes there is a substantial gap between the administrators and teachers when reviewing critical aspects of the work environment:
• 97% of principals agreed that leadership was an issue being adequately addressed; only 57% of teachers agreed.
• 97% of principals felt that teachers were being empowered; only 57% of teachers agreed.
• 96% of principals believed that teachers were involved in decision making; 51% of teachers agreed (Alford, 2008).
Alford gives the results of another survey wherein 74% of the teachers believed they could not speak freely without fear of repercussions. Poor leadership negates teamwork. Poor leadership condemns the students to mediocrity or worse.
There are many surveys of what teachers, parents, and communities want in principals. None of them offer “the popular 8th grader” as principal or assistant principal as a solution to school problems.
In an article on MiddleWeb.com, Anne Jolly, who has worked with many middle grades principals, writes:
Without considering restrainers on principals in terms of time, funding, office staff, central office expectations, etc., I'd start the list with these four characteristics:
Real Principals. . .
Value their teachers as competent professionals. They avoid paternalism. They listen to their teachers. In their schools, the responsibilities they assign teachers reflect teacher's professional status and their primary mission of facilitating student learning.
Value their teachers as leaders. They avoid "cosmetic empowerment." When they ask teachers for input, they actually use that input to make real changes. Real principals give their teachers business cards. They encourage teachers to explore their own areas of strength as leaders, whether they prefer to be community leaders, school leaders, classroom leaders, or all three. They encourage their teachers to take risks without fear of penalty for failure.
Value themselves as the professional leaders they are. They avoid being "rule-driven." They deal consistently and fairly with students, parents, and teachers. They understand that real principals make mistakes, and they are honest with themselves about their strengths about areas for improvement.
Real principals turn their schools into learning communities. They believe that each individual in the school - staff or student - can achieve great things, and they expect no less (Jolly, n.d.).
In these times, just as in the past, we need principals who are persons of integrity, who respect and value the teachers, the staff, the students, and the parents. When school improvement happens, it is not on the shoulders of the principal alone. Those “popular 8th graders” as principals are ones who lose great faculty to other schools and who develop schools with rifts and divisions at a time when all need to be working together for the students.
Anne Jolly’s words echo loudly as we ponder how to improve our schools.
Resources:
Alford, D. (2008, September). What do teachers want? American School Board Journal.
DuFour, R. (2002). Beyond instructional leadership : The learning-centered principal. Educational Leadership, 58(8), 12-15.
Jolly, A. (2008). Team to Teach: A Facilitator's guide to professional learning teams. National Staff Development Council.
Occupational Outlook Handbook (2008-09). Education Administrators. United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved April 10, 2009 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos007.htm .
Websites:
All Things PLC http://www.allthingsplc.org/ (This is a huge resource. Check the reference list.)
What makes a good middle grades principal http://www.middleweb.com/MWLISTCONT/MSLprincipals.html
