One short semester as an Assistant Principal and then my ship sailed to another elementary school where I took over in the month of February! I will never forget the feeling of nausea as I drove down the road to that school thinking that I was now to be in charge of it...a school that had had the same principal for so many years that most of the teachers had never known another principal.
I didn't want to move any of his things for fear it would upset people but it looked like he hadn't moved many of his things for years either! Dust had collected everywhere! I couldn't find the phone and someone had actually put a tin mailbox outside his office door so that current notes had a place to be seen. I decided to clean the office. Even the secretary laughed as I cleaned and sneezed! People dealt with that change quietly and watchfully.
But, within a short month, I committed the ultimate "sin". I disagreed with a long standing tradition! If students forgot their boots during the winter months, they were to wear bread bags over their shoes outside!
Nope, not on my watch!
Within seconds of hearing this, the breadbags came off and I called a staff meeting. What were they thinking? How would they like it if they had to wonder around the playground in breadbags? Not to mention the potential of slipping and falling...how would we explain to parents that their child got hurt because he slipped while wearing breadbags on his feet! Breadbags that we made him wear!
Lesson Learned - Know what you stand for! Know the lines in the sand that you simply will not cross no matter what! Humiliation is never a good way to get people to remember to do something!
Oh yeah! And don't be afraid to change around the office! It's time to let everyone know that someone new is in charge! Little changes mean a lot!
No comments:
Post a Comment