Shadowing Principal

       It was an invaluable experience being able to hear from Marissa, Yumi, and Ben in such an intimate setting. Though our cohort had an opportunity similar to this one during our spring quarter, what set the two experiences apart were the flow of conversation and the quality time spent together. Our previous gathering was made up of about six different folks in administration and/or school/district leadership roles. We were divided up into six groups and what we took part in resembled that of speed dating. Each group got to sit with the school leader for about 7 minutes before the leader transitioned over to the next group. Though each individual shared much knowledge in the time allotted, 7 minutes was simply not enough to hear their stories and experiences in depth nor did we have enough time to ask questions that we had previously come up with.  

With Marissa, I was able to see some similarities and some stark differences between my district, Burbank Unified School District, and Los Angeles Unified School District. Most of the differences may stem from district size and available funding and resources; however, I was shocked at the number of team members Marissa had on her administrative team. At my district, we had to fight to have temporary Assistant Principal positions open up at the two of our largest elementary schools. For context, my elementary school has 775 students and we have been without an assistant principal for four years now and so much has fallen on my principal’s shoulders. The one other person who sits on the administrative team is the Curriculum Specialist; his/her job responsibilities is to oversee benchmark testing (BOY, MOY, and EOY), progress monitor, RtI programs, and coach new teachers; however, our Curriculum Specialists have often had to oversee student discipline as well due to the fact that there is no one else to oversee student discipline. Marissa shared that on her campus, 99th Street Elementary School, she has a full-time AP, an instructional coach, two intervention coordinators, TSP coordinator, and an APEIS. It made me reflect on how equitable resources are directly tied to teacher and administrator retainment and student outcomes and wondered how this could be challenged at the state level. 

       As a primary teacher with very limited experience in a secondary setting, the open forum/panel provided context and understanding of challenges, struggles, and victories experienced at the post K-5 level. Both Yumi and Ben spoke to the challenges of being parents while being an administrator which spoke to my heart as a mom to a toddler and soon-to-be a newborn. Keeping and maintaining a strong work-home balance is something I always work towards, but feel that I always want to give 100% to both at the expense of my own personal well-being. However, I am learning that there is always work to be done and delegation is a big part of school leadership. I figure this is what building trust looks and sounds like within a team-- I get to recognize my team’s strengths and use it for the good of the school community. I also get to be a reflective leader who recognizes one’s shortcomings/needs and be vocal about what I need from them as well.