13 Principles for Principals

I was teaching my first grade class in a building that was still under construction. Between my classroom and the boys’ bathroom was one flight of stairs. On the landing was a hole large enough for a child to fall through. Danny (not his real name) was kind of kid who would want to check out that hole and would likely fall through it. And Danny needed to use the bathroom. He’d had bathroom accidents before, so I knew the situation was urgent.

I had my class of 26 kids working, my paraprofessional not in the class, and Danny wiggling next to me. And that hole on the landing. So I called down to the office and asked if someone could come up and escort this child to the bathroom. The secretary said she was too busy and connected me to the principal. The principal, sitting in her office, said she couldn’t come. I explained that the situation was urgent, asked whether she could find anyone to come escort this child, and reiterated that this child would likely wet himself soon. She replied, and I quote, “Call his mom and tell her to bring extra clothes.” I was furious. She asked, “Is there anything else?” I said, “No.” I hung up and lined up my 26 students to escort Danny to the bathroom.

Although she was too busy to come escort this six-year-old to the bathroom, to ensure his safety, she was apparently not too busy to write me up for insubordination. She didn’t like my tone on the phone and I’d hung up without saying goodbye, or something like that. The letter was prepared for my file before the end of the school day. I attached a letter of my own the next day, as was my right, describing the conversation and quoting the principal. Surprise, surprise, she ended up not putting the letter in my file.

I’ve often quipped that I love teaching, but can’t stand schools. Feeling like this has been largely a function of the principal (or other administrative staff) of a given school. Some principals go to work every day to support teachers and children. They read and do research on best practice and work to integrate these ideas into their schools in productive ways. They do whatever they can to facilitate the teaching and learning process.

I know this because my mother is an elementary school principal, one who was a teacher for many years, and then a teacher-director, before taking on the job of principal. She scours flea markets for used books to support units of study. I’ve seen her host new teachers at her home to help them with their planning. She spends some weekends at school-organized book fairs and street fairs to raise money for enrichment activities not covered by the shrinking public school budgets. When directives from above don’t make sense, she challenges those directives and does her best to protect her teachers. She said to me, while I was writing this piece, "Classroom teachers are essential to a good school. However, without a supportive, fearless leader, even the best teacher cannot function well."

Truth be told, many terrible principals won’t care about what I’ve written below. But someone should say it, don’t you think? And if you're a principal and none of this applies to you, you’re probably one of those great principals who make teaching a pleasure. Thank you.

Lead by example.

Quick story. My co-teacher and I were doing an activity in which groups of children had been given slips with descriptors of people stranded at sea – mother, young child, old woman, school principal, teenager. They had to decide which would be placed into a rescue boat that could only fit ten of the fifteen people in trouble. We went to see how one group was doing and noticed that a student had placed the school principal slip far away from the rescue boat - and he had drawn sharks around it! We managed to suppress our laughter for long enough to ask why the child had made this decision. The child responded, “I hate that man. Once, he said ‘good morning’ to me and I nodded instead of saying ‘good morning’ back. And he yelled at me. I don’t even know him!” That one interaction had created such animosity in this child that he would never trust or interact positively with this principal again. Imagine if the principal had simply greeted this child by name on a regular basis, if he had modeled greeting instead of berating him.

Be kind and open-minded. Be fair and thoughtful. Be respectful and caring. Lead by example to create a wonderful school community.

Weigh the impact of your words.

Be careful of how you speak to staff, students and families. Your words have impact - and you want that impact to be positive, I hope. We are usually aware that language matters when we talk to children. But what we say in front of children also matters. If you need to say something that's not for a child's ears, then wait until you are away from children to say it. Children pick up and understand (or misunderstand) much more than we think. Watch how you talk to staff in front of students as well. Be sure you are modeling kind, respectful interactions.

Don't be a bully/dictator.

You know these principals, don’t you? The ones who yell and slam their fists on their desks, who call teachers and other members of staff rude names? Those principals who take joy in writing disciplinary letters to put in teachers’ files, creating anger and frustration where they should be providing guidance, building effective communication, and showing support? They threaten disciplinary action whenever someone disagrees with them, or make that person’s life hell. Those principals suck. They create an atmosphere in which staff members are constantly walking on eggshells. Respect and fear are not the same thing. Good leaders don't need to threaten their staff members. If you are a school principal who bullies the folks who work under you, just know they are all waiting with bated breath for karma to come kick your ass.

Listen.

Some principals love to talk. And talk. And talk. If you’re a principal, look up every once in a while, and take note of whether people are actually listening. Are staff members avoiding making eye contact with you? Do their expressions look bored? Disinterested? Disgusted? Angry? If so, it’s probably a sign that you do more talking than listening and that nobody cares much what you’re saying. Take the time to listen to students, parents and staff – all of them. Don't just surround yourself with a small group of people who make you feel good about yourself by stroking your ego. Make sure you are accessible when people are in need of support or clarification. Stop sending out so many e-mails and dictates and memos and have a conversation instead. You might learn something. And they might be more willing to listen to you.

Get involved. Get dirty. Get to know your school community.

One evening, when parents were coming for a school open house, I was straightening up my classroom. We had two broken computers sitting on a table and I had forgotten about that area of the room, since it wasn’t used. My assistant principal came down and wasn’t happy to see the dust that had gathered behind the table, but she could see that we were working on cleaning and running short on time. She got down on her hands and knees and cleaned behind that table herself. Why does it matter? Why do I remember that? Because that simple act let us know that she was with us, part of a team trying to accomplish something. If you’re a principal, you have to be willing to get some dirt on your hands sometimes, whether by working with children or supporting staff members. Little things like this make a big difference.

Walk around your school and be aware of what’s happening. Certain principals seem never to seem to leave their offices. Good school principals actually interact with children on a daily basis. Some do this by covering recess or lunch, welcoming children in the morning, and dismissing them in the afternoons. How can you know what’s going on if you’re locked in your office? How will children know you and trust you? How can you be effective if all you ever see is your computer screen?

Some schools are larger than others and this might be a challenge in an enormous school. But do your best to know everyone by name. Get to know the teachers, students, parents/caretakers, custodians, guards – everyone who makes up your school community. Try to know more than just their names.

Support new teachers (or don't hire them!)

I once worked in a program within a school. A group of teachers and parents made school decisions, usually through discussion and consensus. The hiring committee was also made up of teachers and parents. We did a darn good job. During those years, we had a diverse, committed group of teachers who collaborated with each other and with parents to provide an excellent, responsive education to our students. Too often, these days, principals don’t consider children first when making hiring decisions. 

I notice some principals hiring new teachers as often as possible. Perhaps they’re trying to save money. Perhaps they want teachers who are easily controlled. I imagine it’s a little of both. But this doesn’t work! I mean, new teachers have to work somewhere, and it’s not that hiring young teachers is bad. It’s just that you have to be willing and able to provide the support and professional development to help those teachers grow. And that takes money and time. And no school can function well if the bulk of teachers are beginners. One principal estimated that it takes most new teachers about five years to really get a handle on management and curriculum. When new teachers enter schools in which they are not sufficiently supported, they often quit teaching before those five years are up. They've been set up to fail.

“The primary driver of the exodus of early-career teachers is a lack of administrative and professional support… Quite simply, teachers don’t think the people they work for care about them or their efforts to improve.” - Susan Headden, Beginners in the Classroom.

So if you want to hire a few new teachers, go for it, but be ready to provide the necessary supports - for their benefit and for the well being of their students.

Nix the nonsensical non-negotiables.

Principals have to be aware that directives (sometimes called non-negotiables) don’t always make sense, and (from a teacher's point of view) they might not take precedence over other work happening in classrooms. I had an assistant principal (not the same one who helped clean!) who came into my classroom one half-day, while children were still in class, and demanded that I move my Word Wall down six inches. She gave me an hour to comply. She didn’t care that kids were using the Word Wall effectively and consistently, didn’t care that I was teaching. Principals, I get that sometimes these non-negotiables are handed down by your superiors. Assuming you've taught, reflect back to how you felt and how you functioned when ridiculous demands were being piled on. Instead of harassing teachers, evaluate the value of these directives and support your teachers – either by helping them comply or by having the conviction to stand up to your own supervisors. 

Stop interrupting!

And protect classrooms from interruptions by other people. A well-functioning, productive classroom is a delicate balance, one that can be thrown off by the slightest interruption, wasting time and causing teachers to have to reset. Just because there are loudspeakers built in to classroom walls doesn't mean you have to use them. Just because some classrooms have phones, you don't have to call. We're busy working, teaching, assessing, supporting students. And protect classrooms from other unnecessary interruptions. Ask parents and family members to make appointments to talk to teachers during the day. Don't deliver supplies in the middle of lessons. If you choose to enter a classroom, which you should on occasion, do so in a manner that doesn't stop the work that's already happening.

Know child development.

Know your age groups and know the curriculum. Just like good teachers should know their age group, so should principals. You have to know your age groups so you can evaluate curricular materials and teaching practices and know whether they're appropriate.

Build buy-in by allowing for true collaboration.

The principal is ultimately responsible for all that goes on in a school, making decisions and choices about how the school functions. The extent to which teachers are allowed to contribute to making decisions directly influences how effective implementation of a new policy or curriculum will be. Allow teachers and members to weigh-in as often as possible, even if the final decisions lies in your hands. Don't pretend to allow input and do what you had always intended. Teachers know when you're really listening and when it's just for show.

Zero tolerance for zero-tolerance policies.

Zero-tolerance policies don't work. These policies tend to be applied unfairly, and push children out of school, effectively stopping their formal education. These punitive policies also erode trust, making it harder for children to reconnect when they return to their classrooms after periods of suspension. If you want to know more, just look here, here and here. 

Colorblindness and other lies.

Everyone has biases. Be aware of your biases and work to diminish them. When a person comes to you expressing concerns about bias in your school, don't respond that you treat everyone the same. It's not true. Pay attention to whom you listen to and whom you don't. Pay attention to whether the consequences you dole out to students are relatively similar for similar infractions. Pay attention to whom you place in other administrative positions, who receives promotions, and who doesn't. (Do they all look just like you?) You are in a position that allows you to challenge inequality or to perpetuate it. I hope you'll choose to challenge it.

When you're wrong, apologize and make amends.

Nobody expects you to be perfect. You are, after all, human. When you realize that you've made a mistake, or made a bad decision, do something to acknowledge that you recognize that. It will go a long way toward maintaining the all-important rapport that allows effective communication to happen.

I've seen principals build and support wonderful schools, and I've seen principals destroy schools. I've seen principals recruit, hire and keep phenomenal educators, and I've seen schools where any good teacher who could, left as soon as they were able. I've seen principals build strong collaborative communities, and principals who operated dictatorships that they called "collaborative" for show. The job of a principal is tough. It's not a job I'd ever want. But if you take this job on, please, use your power for good. 

Top Sixteen Tips for Teachers

My son cried every night of the first month of school that year. He was being punished frequently and often couldn't understand what he had done wrong. He felt like his teacher hated him, even though he tried hard to do what he thought was expected of him. After a while, I also believed the teacher hated him.

You might think I was that parent, the one who thought her child did no wrong. You’d be mistaken. My son was in the other section of a class I co-taught the previous year, and I knew he could be challenging for a teacher who didn't "get" him. He was wiggly and impatient. He struggled with handwriting and with focus. He was bluntly honest – no filter. But he was also an avid reader, an enthusiastic and curious mathematician, and the kind of kid who made every person in the school community feel welcome and important. He might have been the only kid at our school who – in addition to knowing the names of almost all of the teachers and students – knew the names of most of the guards and cleaners and cheerfully greeted them on a daily basis.

The previous year, I’d watched my co-teacher – a second year teacher – masterfully support and engage my son, helping him to have his best year ever in school. She is  a natural born teacher, and did most of what I share below instinctually. She and I both offered to share strategies with this teacher for how best to work with my son and other children we’d taught. Our suggestions weren’t welcomed, to say the least.

After a conversation with the teacher and head of section about how my child was missing recess almost every day, making it harder for him to sit still and be quiet (more on that later), I shared a Responsive Classroom article about Punishment vs. Logical Consequences. Neither the teacher nor the head of section was pleased. How dare I think I knew enough that I could teach them anything about teaching?

I didn’t bother to remind them of my 17 years of teaching experience, my master’s degree in Special Education, or my 11 years of experience parenting my child. Instead, I began writing this list – for that teacher and that supervisor. I hope you’ll find something useful in this Top Sixteen Tips for Teachers.

1.     Find something to love about every child. Yes, every child. Even that one. Especially that one. You can be infinitely more patient and supportive if, in your moments of frustration, you can remind yourself how kind Amin is when one of his classmates is sad. The more challenging a child is, the more important it is that you find at least one amazing about him. (Shout out to my first co-teacher for sharing this nugget of wisdom with me in my very first year of teaching!)

2.    Know your age group. I highly recommend the book Yardsticks by Chip Wood. When my first graders were falling sideways out of their chairs on a regular basis, Yardsticks explained this was typical of six year olds. (Five year olds tend to fall backwards.) And nine year olds are often complainers. You can stop getting frustrated with age-appropriate behavior and instead, help kids grow past it. Especially if you are not a parent or have not parented kids of your age group before, ask someone who has about children’s physical needs. I’ve seen too many kids have bathroom accidents because teachers demanded they wait until the end of a lesson or activity at age 5 or 6! 

3.    Keep your back to the wall. Management 101. Make sure you can see the whole classroom most of the time.  If you have tables set up for small group work, place your seat in a corner, facing outward. Scan the room regularly. Stop any problems before they start by redirecting kids firmly and kindly. Teach an attention signal and use it when you need everyone’s attention. And make sure you get everyone’s attention each time you use it. Ideally, your attention signal won’t consist of clapping and/or yelling loudly and repeatedly. Melodic (sung) attention signals are my personal favorites. Many educators like to use a simple chime. 

4.    Be clear with your language and limit the sarcasm, even with older kids, or explain what you mean. And cut it out completely with little ones. They take what you say literally. Be explicit and don’t assume kids know what you meant to say. I’ll never forget the puzzled expression on one little boy’s face when a parent volunteer handed him a worksheet and joked, “Go on, knock yourself out.” (He later came back to ask if she really wanted him to knock himself out!) Or when a teacher told a row of children – none of which spoke English as a first language – to “move up.” Not one child moved. He repeated himself to the point of frustration and walked away muttering about how dumb the kids were. I later asked those children if they knew what “move up” meant. They guessed, “Sideways?” I explained that sometimes we say, “move up,” when we mean, “move forward.” Now they know.

5.    Stop trying to intimidate children into behaving. Establish a strong rapport with your students. Respect your students and talk to them like real people, even the little ones. Make the expectations in your classroom explicit and reasonable and then support children to meet those expectations. If you're asking young children - or even bigger kids - to sit still for close to an hour and be quiet, (read long assemblies with no interactive anything) your expectations are not appropriate, so don't get angry at the kids for not being still and quiet. If your only strategy for getting kids to work is threatening them with punishment, something’s wrong. Start seeking out other methods. 

6.    Build community. Take the time to greet your students and teach them to greet each other. Teach children how to support, respect and cooperate with their peers. No time? I promise you the learning goes faster and better if your classroom is a safe, welcoming space. Children have to feel safe enough to take risks and make mistakes if they are to make progress. (Responsive Classroom has useful, researched, tried and true methods packed into easy-to-read articles, books and DVDs. Check them out!)

7.    Share a genuine love of reading, writing, numbers and everything else and the learning will come easier. I have, a number of times, had several students in a class make 2+ years growth in reading in one school year, mostly because together, we found books they loved, and they read non-stop for the first time in their lives. Mo Willems, Sharon Creech, Christopher Myers and Walter Dean Myers, Louis Sachar, Christopher Paul Curtis and Gail Gibbons are just a few of the authors who have grabbed kids’ attention and made them want to read non-stop. I’ve watched children who hated writing become prolific writers because of the excitement Writing Workshop generated as we wrote with them and helped them to coach each other. (Check out Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Workshops for a great model to get kids loving literacy and taking ownership of their work!) Teaching That Makes Sense is a phenomenal free resource when you're stuck for inspiration or need subject-specific, grade-appropriate ideas, handouts, and posters! (No, I'm not getting paid to say that, and seriously, go look!)

8.    Wait. And teach children to wait. Many children need time to formulate their thoughts. Don’t assume the child doesn’t have something to say because it’s taking her a while to get it out. Silently count to ten – or twenty. Teach children to listen with patience. Have them keep hands down while someone else is speaking. Teach a wait signal (like a waist-level thumbs up) and wait for most children to have an idea or answer, rather than always calling on the children who raise their hands first. Pay attention to which children you call on most and, more importantly, note the children who rarely get a chance to answer. Then work to make the speaking in your classroom more equitable. If you find this difficult, keep a checklist of names in front of you, and tally the number of times you call on each child. When you’ve gotten better at this, pay attention to how frequently you call on children of different genders and cultural backgrounds during specific subjects. I promise you, you’ll be surprised.

9.    Get enough sleep and plan properly. It took me about two years to figure out that there was a direct correlation between the class having a “bad day” and me not getting enough sleep or not planning thoroughly enough.

10. Be human, unless you think robots should be teaching children. I don’t know who decided teachers should avoid smiling for the first month of school, but that person was clearly not a good teacher. Smile, laugh, cry and let children do the same. (I can never read aloud Patricia Polacco’s book, The Junkyard Wonders without getting choked up!) And help children learn language to describe how they're feeling.

11.  Build bridges between home and school. Learn to greet children and their families in their home languages. Welcome children’s home languages and cultures into your classroom. Welcome family members into your classroom to share their knowledge about the world: to build, to cook, to read, to sing, to dance, or be interviewed. (Check out Paula Rogovin’s book, Classroom Interviews for fantastic ideas.)

12. Understand that families want the best for their children. You might not always agree with what families think is best for their child and that can be frustrating, and yes, sometimes infuriating. So it’s good to know that mostly, families want to know that you know their child, like their child and have their child’s best interests at heart. Be honest with parents, but be tactful, and don’t forget to share the positives, too, frequently. And remember, families do generally know their children well, so listen to what they have to say. Knowing more about your students is helpful!

13. Know that every child wants to succeed. I’ve heard children labeled lazy, not that bright, spacey, difficult, defiant, rude, only to find upon working with them that they were some of the kindest, hardest-working, most brilliant, cooperative children I’d ever known. One child had severe dyslexia that had gone undiagnosed for his first six and a half years of school. Another turned out to have a severe hearing impairment, and another, a possible undiagnosed seizure disorder. Several “not that bright” children spoke English as a second or third language. A number of “rude” children were on the autism spectrum. One five year old who spent the first month of school climbing onto tables, throwing things at other children and running away, finally broke down and said he needed to go home so he could make sure his mom, sick with Lupus, was okay. Once he knew mom was taken care of and that he wouldn’t get sent home for his behavior, he became a joyful and caring member of our classroom community. Kids want to learn. You are the teacher. It is your job to figure out what a child needs to learn and then do your best to provide it. Ask for help if you need to.

14. Be an advocate for families that need support. I'm not talking about telling families what they need. I'm talking about helping families when you know they need help. If you can access certain privileges and connections that might benefit families, use them. If you need to fight for services for a child, or seek out community organizations, do that. Ask for help finding the support families might need. Speak up. Call that person you know.

15. Be an activist against racism. And if that sounds too extreme to you, you're not paying attention. Racism impacts on our classrooms every day. We see it in our schools and on the news. We have to work against it truly give all children a chance to be successful. We have to be able to say BLACK LIVES MATTER and mean it. And we have to know, that even in classrooms where there are no children of color, racism is harmful. Be an activist in your own classroom by making your books reflect our beautiful, diverse world, focusing on identities represented in your school and community. Be an activist at the school level by calling out racist behavior and educating the perpetrators. Be an activist in your community by working to make school zoning fair, by supporting public schools. We have so much work to do.

16. Don't be too hard on yourself. This job is hard. Do your best! 

Have a great year!