Competent and Qualified Administrative Teams Leading Their School

As Monday afternoon’s faculty meeting concluded, the principal announced that the new school-spirit T-shirts would be waiting in teacher mailboxes upon arrival Tuesday morning. This small but important item of appreciation was funded by the school’s PTA and it would provide a potential culture boost as another challenging school year was winding down and standardized testing was ramping up. Teachers were also excited to have a new option to coordinate with Friday’s jeans day when coffee and breakfast would be available before school.

Most teachers routinely checked their mailbox at the start of each day, sometimes with a quick “no mail today” peek, and they were on their way. However, gridlock ensued on this Tuesday as a larger crowd, carrying bags and coffee, added the contents of their mailbox to their stash while retreating against traffic out a single-wide door. It did not take long for everyone to realize that most T-shirts were a different size than what they submitted online earlier in the year. A few teachers (the ones with smiles) happened to receive their correct size and they hurried to their classroom. The remainder (the ones with furrowed brows) had lots of questions for the main office receptionist who was on the phone while two parents waited for assistance clearly recognizing the problem…

This specific scenario is fictional but everyone who has worked in a school setting has experienced a similar moment where something that should have been accurate, correct, or functional, was not. A variety of goodies might contribute to teachers feeling appreciated for the important work they do each day. However, beyond T-shirts, coffee, and breakfast, teachers really want their school’s leadership and administrative team to be qualified and competent.

Teachers can easily tell whether or not their principal is fully prepared to lead a faculty meeting. Teachers can discern if the assistant principal in charge of assessment is prepared for the mandatory training in advance of testing week. Teachers are also aware if the information requested from them has been used, discussed, or considered when a task was planned and executed. It is not really about the T-shirt being the wrong size and all the extra work that will be required after the fact to get everyone their correct size. It is more about why and how that easily preventable error occurred in the first place. Teachers expect and deserve competent leaders. Teachers expect and deserve qualified and highly-functional administrative teams. Schools and districts who relentlessly make this a priority are focusing on the kind of continuous appreciation that truly matters to teachers.

Whether you are a principal who needs help cultivating competence across your leadership team or a teacher who wants to join such a team one day, we can partner with you to better achieve your goals.