!

Over the past several months I have learned a lot about myself and what it takes to be a

successful administrator. When I met with the Superintendent, Bill DeFrance, in early November and was offered the opportunity to become the Interim-Principal at Lockwood Elementary I would be lying if I said I felt condent and ready to run that particular building. Having spent my career teaching in two different buildings covering 5th, 6th, and 8th graders, along with coaching at the High School level I never pictured myself in a building with 3 to 9 year-olds. I did not know any of the teachers in the building, which in hindsight was probably a good thing, how the building was operated, much about the curriculum, or anything else about the building, including what issues lead to me being offered the position after the year had started. In short I had no idea what I was walking into. With the support and advice of the Superintendent, the Curriculum Director, the Special Education Director, and the Middle School Principal in the building I was leaving I was able to make a successful transition and learned a few things on the way.! ! Monday Bill gave me a tour of Lockwood and introduced me to some of the staff

members during my planning time. He told me a little bit about the staff, who the building leaders were, and who would be good to go to for certain questions. Tuesday morning I became the administrator. The rst lesson I learned (following the advice of both Bill and Billie the Middle School Principal) was the importance of spending a couple of days observing and asking questions. Doing so I learned that many teachers felt ignored and that there was a perceived group that received preferential treatment. In addition, many support staff members felt they were not appreciated and left out of the loop. Using this information I held a staff meeting on that Thursday, invited all staff, introduced myself, and asked them to create a list of Immediate, short-term and long-term concerns, along with things they felt were untouchables things that were great about Lockwood they did not want changed. Afterwards many staff members expressed their appreciating for being allowed to be heard and in the case of the

support staff to just be included. The second lesson learned was clearly the importance of making sure the staff around me felt valued and appreciated. ! ! That staff meeting left me feeling pretty good about things, but I knew that if I did not

follow through then I would lose any credibility I had gained. I had to go over the list and nd things that could be done immediately. Over the next couple of days I worked with another teacher to improve building communication (Competency 2) by creating a Lockwood Staff gmail account and using it to create a staff calendar and place to store documents that were needed by all staff to address. I also met with the person in charge of District Maintenance, Rob, and we walked around the building and I shared with him the issues of the outside lights not being on when teachers came and left the building and the need for wood chips on the playground. Rob took care of the lights immediately and within weeks there were 3 trucks delivering wood chips to the playground. These actions helped me show the staff that not only was I listening to them, but would do something about it.! ! All of these lessons were important, but the most impactful lesson learned was really

done without thinking and that is just being visible. Every morning (unless a meeting gets in the way) I meet the kids as they get off the bus and either shake their hands or give high-ves (and after I had been there a few days I started getting hugs). In addition I walk around the building and in-and-out of classrooms throughout the day as well as attend PTO meetings and after school events. By doing so it has made people more comfortable with me and has increased teacher participation in activities throughout the building. Apparently before I arrived very few teachers participated in after-school activities, something noticed by many parents. In March we had our Literacy Night and, without pressure from me, every classroom teacher (except one that was out of town for a funeral) was present either as a volunteer or as a participant with their child along with several support staff and individuals from the RESA that are in our building. The best part was that parents noticed and were appreciative and the staff felt it.!

Being a new administrator is tough. The hours are long and all over the place, not to

mention the fact that I am now a member of every building committee in addition to several at the district level. Throw in budgeting, evaluations, discipline, parent contacts, after school events and the fact you are dealing with a staff who are constantly looking for, and giving, advice and ideas on how to make things better and it is easy to see why one often feels like things are never done. Throughout this experience I have learned several lessons that have helped: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1. ! 2.! ! 3.! 4.! ! 5.! ! ! 6.! ! ! 7.! ! Spend time listening to people - sometimes they just want/need to vent! Make sure the people around you feel appreciated and valued - everybody has ! something they can do to contribute to the building and make them feel important! Follow through on what you say you will do! Be visible to not only the staff and students during the day, but at after school ! events as well! Stay calm - even if you are not then fake it. When people get worked up ! ! and res occur (which they do daily) you can either be the fuel that accelerates it ! and pushed it out of control or the water that puts it out! Lead by example - If people see you working hard then they will too. The ! opposite is probably even more true; If they do not think you care enough to put ! in the extra time, then why should they?! Do not be afraid to apologize for mistakes. It really takes the re out of people ! when they are angry and want to yell!

These are just some of the lessons I learned from this experience that have helped me be successful. Im sure there are many more that I will continue to learn as I gain experience and move forward in my administrative career.