My Principal Gets It Right

I just finished reading two blog posts (http://www.indy.education/blog/2017/3/13/teachers-quit-principals-not-schools) and (http://misterrad.tumblr.com/post/158564691132/hey-principals-you-are-screwing-up) explaining how often teachers are leaving their classrooms, not because they can’t handle the pressure, not because they don’t want to teach in their school or community, not even because their paychecks are not enough.  They are leaving because of leadership. 

They are leaving with broken hearts, tears streaming down their faces, with a pit in their stomach.  They want to stay.  They feel terrible leaving others behind.  But, they have finally tried to affect change for the better for the last time.  Teachers are going to another district where students’ needs come first, or to a job related to education, or any place where they feel that their heart for teaching will make a lasting impact.  They are leaving to teach where innovation, creativity, and reaching the heart of every child is the vision and mission of the district.  This stuns me.  How can there be schools where leaders do not support their schools?

As the 2016 Indiana Teacher of the Year, I have spent my year working with educators and administrators from pre-K through 12^th grade, university professors and administrators, policy makers and teacher candidates.  Mostly what I do is go around and share all of the amazing things that I have been a part of accomplishing just by being in my school district, my building, working with my colleagues and MY PRINCIPAL! 

I can’t get very far into sharing the instructional practices, innovation, achievement and growth results we experience at my school without mentioning my principal.  She is an instructional leader, a visionary, a cheerleader.  She leads with her heart and her head, and does that lady LEAD.  The culture in my building is one of always moving forward, always meeting student needs.  Sometimes I think that being inside of her head for a day would wear me out.  How can a person look at absolutely anything and see how it should be just a little better, or maybe a whole lot better?

It is exciting and amazing and exhausting in the very best kind of way to teach at my school.  We celebrate and challenge one another.  We come along side of each other to lead and share, and we listen to each other.  No one knows everything, but every single one of us knows something that could help the rest of us to be better tomorrow than we are today.  Our principal is the one who first believed that.  She is a leader who creates leaders.  She never, ever seeks the spotlight, or makes any move with recognition in mind.  Her most fulfilled moments as a leader are when she sees one of her teachers leading.  Her bar is high, for herself and for us, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

She loves kids. Period.  No matter the challenge, her answer is that we will do what is best for the child.  If that means coming up with a plan that we have never used before, we do it.  We make changes and add programs and tweak instruction because it is what our students need.  We are never alone in our journey, because she manages to lead us from alongside of us. Her favorite phrase is “fail forward”.  It gives us permission to try and fail, to hack and learn, to be brave and joyful!

Want to keep great teachers in classrooms? Put great principals in schools.  Put great superintendents in district offices.  Put kids first.