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All the things that race through your mind when you walk into a classroom as a principal is staggering. But it's awesome. It's the best job in America." Erick Fineberg of Bathgate Elementary, Mission Viejo "You know, I make more decisions in 5 minutes that affect the lives of kids, and it takes you 2 days to decide to do this." - Principal Jim Sieger in San Clemente, comparing his workday to that of a businessman friend Meet Erick Fineberg, a first-year principal at Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo. He’s one of a diminishing number of educators who is willing to lead schools these days. Why isn’t the next generation stepping up to take over the principal’s office? Just talk to Fineberg for a few minutes and you’ll see. “When I was a student, I walked into a classroom and thought, ‘Who are my buddies in here and is the teacher nice?’” he says. “As a paraprofessional, I was looking at how the kids were behaving and what the teacher was doing. As a teacher, I was thinking about the curriculum, are the students learning and am I hitting all the standards. Now, as a principal, oh my gosh. I’m thinking, ‘Is Johnny feeling better today because I saw him in the office earlier.’ And, ‘Is this teacher OK because I know she had a difficult day yesterday with a personal problem.’ And, ‘Is this classroom hitting all the standards because I know the parent of a student told me she thought her child wasn’t challenged enough.’ All the things that race through your mind when you walk into a classroom as a principal is staggering. But it’s awesome. It’s the best job in America.” Not every educator quite agrees with Fineberg on this last point. In fact, recent studies cited by the National Association of Elementary School Principals indicate that fewer educators are willing to occupy the big chair on campus. Half of superintendents nationwide say they didn’t have enough qualified administrators to fill principal positions in 1998. And the shortage is only expected to worsen as nearly half the principals nationwide reach retirement age by 2010. More and more schoolwork Educators’ unwillingness to step into the principal’s office is due in part to the increased demands on public schools, in the form of specific state and federal requirements on what students should learn at each grade level and how schools will demonstrate progress toward those goals. School budgets also have suffered in the shadow of California’s economic problems, prompting school leaders to cut popular programs. Laws that threaten principals’ jobs don’t help either. In addition to several state laws, the federal “No Child Left Behind” Act allows principals to be fired if their schools fail to make adequate academic progress. Yet, the shrinking principal pool comes at a time when evidence clearly shows school success hinges on strong leadership namely good principals. Researchers have documented multiple studies illustrating the significant impact school leadership can have on improving classroom instruction. A 2003 Gallup poll found that principals are crucial to retaining top teachers, a powerful piece of ensuring quality student education. That influence is linked to his or her ability to construct a supportive and positive culture for teachers. “Highly effective principals…create a school culture that is supportive of performance and people,” writes Gary Gordon, global practice leader for The Gallup Organization’s Education Division. “Unfortunately, many schools both in high-poverty and affluent circumstances alike are not the workplaces in which effective teachers wish to spend their lives. These schools will continue to have significant turnover, while successful schools will recruit and retain great teachers regardless of their location or other challenges. Those successful schools probably have principals dedicated to creating workplaces in which teachers want to work.” The teacher component Such research doesn’t surprise principals, who have long seen their primary goal as improving student education. The best way to do that, in most cases, is to support, develop and retain classroom teachers. At Bathgate, Fineberg spent his first months on campus empowering teachers to make decisions that meet students’ needs. “We live in a high accountability era in education and there are people who are making decisions for us that have never been in the classroom,” says Fineberg, who has also been an assistant principal and teacher at Capistrano Unified School District. “That’s really difficult for teachers to swallow. Whenever you can put more power in their hands and make decisions that are right for kids, it reminds them of why they went into teaching.” Yet, inspiring teachers is just the beginning of a principal’s job. In Capistrano, for instance, the mission for a principal is to be a leader of change in educational communities, working with teachers, parents and other administrators to create a school that encompasses everyone’s vision. “You need to understand what people want and need, and listen to them,” Fineberg says. “You may not always agree with what the teachers or community want for the school, but it’s not your school it’s everybody’s school. Part of the challenge for the principal is creating that community and incorporating all those things together along with the bigger picture.” That “bigger picture” can be overwhelming. Principals are, quite simply, captains of their own ship, navigating a vast landscape of issues. Part operations manager, strategic expert, human resources director, teacher, mentor, parent, counselor, and even finance officer, they handle more issues by far than their predecessors. “I don’t think people have a good understanding of what principals really do,” says Jim Sieger, principal of the newly opened Vista del Mar Elementary and Middle School in San Clemente. “That’s probably an understatement. My wife talks about it all the time and says, `People don’t know what you go through on a day-to-day basis.’ So much of it falls in that category of `duties as assigned.’ You just have to do it. You come earlier and stay later to try to get it all done and you never get it all done. Every principal is that way.” The changing landscape There is no average day for principals, but they consistently talk about staying until 9 p.m. or so for an Open House or concert and arriving before 6 a.m. to prepare for a parent meeting or conference call. There are drama productions and sporting events nearly every weekend, traffic control in the morning, lunchtime walks to get out and chat with students, fundraising and PTA meetings in the afternoon. And there are the endless knocks at the door, asking for decisions. Sieger recounts taking a weekend trip with a friend who was wrapping up a multi-million-dollar deal. His friend took calls on his mobile phone every couple of hours all weekend. “I said to him, `You know, I make more decisions in 5 minutes that affect the lives of kids, and it takes you 2 days to decide to do this,’” he says with a chuckle. “Granted, it was a couple million dollars, but I’m making decisions with regard to children’s lives hundreds of times a day. Let’s get the total picture.” Indeed, a principal’s decisions can have a lasting legacy on the school and students. In many ways, being a principal is more of an art than an occupation. Depending on the school, the boss may need to change tactics or try out different philosophies to work within the existing culture. When Sieger was appointed to open Vista del Mar, he saw firsthand how each community is different. Capistrano Unified has focused on giving principals the flexibility and freedom to create a school around the needs of their students, parents and teachers. “The planning team developed a mission for this school, not the principal,” he says. “The staff helped put together our vision for the school. I was one of those persons, but I wasn’t necessarily the driving force. I was the guider. I’m a 27-year educator and this has been uncomfortable for me. I was fairly comfortable with the status quo, but I’ve had to become a change agent.” A parent to thousands Change is what principals do these days. And they do it best by building strong relationships. Barbara Kaprielian sums up her approach like this: Be a mom to everyone. And that means when a teacher, student, parent or staff member pokes a head in her doorway and asks if she’s got a minute to chat, she makes time. “That’s the scariest thing, when someone says, `Got a minute?’” says Kaprielian, principal at Arroyo Elementary School in North Tustin. “You don’t know if they’re going to tell you if they’ve got some illness or they’re pregnant or something totally different. Then they walk out of your office feeling better and you’re sitting there thinking, `How am I going to solve this and support them? How am I going to make this better?’ Because your job is to make it better.” That means the school, the learning environment, the students. She has those endless to-do’s that never seem to get done. But she also emphasizes the emotional part of a principal’s job. The relationships formed with students, staff, teachers and parents take time, energy and passion. “It’s the most rewarding thing to touch someone’s life,” she says. “I battled an illness several years ago and since then several students’ parents have had that same illness. One of the things that has been said over and over is, `My daughter saw how you handled it and you were such a role model for her, and she is so confident I’m going to come out of this.’” Kaprielian’s second home is the Arroyo campus, and her second family is the school community. When she walks around campus, she picks up trash and points out stray branches to the custodian. She’s also a fixture at school events, no matter the day of the week (or weekend) or time. Clearly, principals give all they’ve got to their schools. But that can take a toll. For Kaprielian, that has meant missing many of her own family’s special memories. After 15 years as a principal, she will take a leave of absence next year to spend more time with her own children, who are 10 and 12. “As a principal, if you’re going to be good, you’re at everything,” she says. “That’s my philosophy. And I am at everything. But I’m finding my own children have performances and games and things and I’m always at Arroyo’s things. I see here at my school the advantages that kids have when moms are nearby and I want to give my own kids that advantage right now. It’s great to leave a job when you still love it. To still be on that high and really feel strongly about what you do. That’s wonderful.” Will she miss it? Probably. It’s not the same job it was a decade ago, but it’s still one of the most challenging and personally rewarding jobs in America. Jennifer Leuer of Yorba Linda covers education issues for OC Family Magazine. For Letters: ocfamily.com. Start With The Principal In 2003, Gallup assessed 143 principals in 17 U.S. and Canadian school districts. The study included an online talent evaluation, employee study and ratings from teachers and administrators. The findings outlined what great principals do to develop positive schools where teachers want to work: • Establish a nurturing culture • Make providing resources for staff a top priority • Develop mutually supportive teams • Inspire teachers by openly talking about their mission and vision for the school • Recognize people's achievements • Establish school expectations and standards Source: The Gallup Organization |
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