Principalship

The absent blogger returns!  I have been very remiss in journaling on my blog recently, and I need to reactivate my motivation to reflect and post about my professional world now that I have been promoted to the role of Principal.

I am about to complete my 4th term as a new Principal in an inner city New Zealand primary school. I took over the role as Acting Principal at the start of term 2 2014 (April), spent nearly 2 terms in the Acting role before winning the position towards the end of term 3 (in August).  I have been reflecting on my last year and all that I have encountered as the Leader of this incredible organisation.

I feel as though I have been on a reaction roller coaster over the last year. reacting to events as a leader takes awareness and particular dispositions that enable me to make decisions for the greater good of this particular organisation.

The last year has seen me confronted by the steepest of learning journeys. The following list of events will be examined briefly in order for me to process the enormity of my first year as a Principal leader. all of these are management - not leadership, but they all take time and also impact on the bigger picture and visionary opportunities of a first time principal.

• We appointed 5 fixed term teachers and 3 permanent teachers, plus a permanent Syndicate Leader AND my replacement DP! 
• Accepted the resignation of a key staff member - School Secretary the day after school broke up before Christmas. While this is an easily managed task - it actually impacted significantly on my personal life. It  meant that the complete 2 week break from work I had promised myself (and my husband) did not happen. I spent my holiday with daily e-mails from prospective applicants, answering phone calls with questions about the job and ensuring that applicants had the necessary paperwork for the application, all from an iPhone 5 on the back of a motorbike! 
• received 2 resignations (both  were in the pipe line prior to me starting)
• Reading Recovery teacher was replaced 
• overseen the completion of school wide painting maintenance project
• initiation and completion of the entire  SNUP project   (School Network Upgrade!)
• 5 classrooms completely upgraded - I inherited the plans, but successfully completed the project in budget!
• School finance officer went  on extended sick leave, just after I started, leaving me solely responsible for NOVO pay! A great learning time and when you're thrown in, you either learn or ...!
• a long-term staff member, dearly loved by all, passed away after a long battle with cancer - This was a hugely challenging period for me as leader. Dealing with other people's grief left me deferring my own grief which I couldn't begin to deal with until the next term. I asked for help from a number of people who were instrumental in supporting me through this time. It meant that I was able to support my staff, the students of her class and parents in a way that meant their grief was acknowledge, and provided for. We were so honored to be asked to host her farewell ceremony here on site, in the place that she loved so much. But this in itself created immense pressure and needed to be "Led" with extreme care. My first personal challenge was also being asked to speak at her service. This tore me up. But, I prepared well, and delivered what was a heartfelt tribute to a valued professional colleague, teacher and friend to many in her short 10 year career (all here at Vardon).
• ACC involved in pay of teacher and students  
• three children at school in wheelchairs as a result of non-school accidents - ACC now initiating support (A first for our school)
• A few high needs behaviour students with outside  Behaviour support required
• Serious behaviour incident that saw me facilitate 2 different full blown restorative conference with three different families and their children
• on my 5th day as Principal officially, a serious behaviour incident saw 3 of my staff hurt by an 11 yr old girl. This also resulted in me getting a spiral fracture to my hand and 2 hairline fractures in 2 fingers! I was left using my non dominant hand for 6 weeks - not great for signing all that a principal has to sign off on! And not great for getting dressed independently either.
• 2 staff members went on maternity leave... and another 1 recently announced she is pregnant!
• Slippery wet decks! OH my! Property will do my head in!
• Started the First Time Principals' Programme
• Education Review Office visit! Yes, I've even experience ERO in my first year! I was unprepared for the level of stress this created as I pride myself on my ability to compartmentalise my professional life to take care of the stressors that I experience. Having never been through this process as the person where the "Buck stops"-  it was an unnerving experience despite the fact that they did not find any "surprises"
• Finally, I now have an enrolment zone to implement!

That's a LOT of incidental "things" to deal with that doesn't even count the day to day important things like knowing my learners and teachers!

I am very aware of the potential for myself to micro-manage my environment!  This is a disposition that I believe I am able to change. If I am aware of this then I will be more likely to empower others to develop their leadership potential and grow the decision making abilities of others in this organisation for the long-term benefit of us all.

My Deliberate Acts of Leadership over the last year: 

Despite having so many incoming "events" or "episodes" to manage over the previous year, I have also begun to create my own climate for leadership across the team. The first big change came when I convinced the BOT to allow the creation of a new internal leadership platform. This saw a long standing staff member valued in her work by changing her title to Deputy Principal. It meant that with the employment of my replacement, there would be 2 Deputy Principals in order to distribute the leadership better. 

Foremost in my mind is thinking about the teachers who work so hard already. I am mindful of the pace of necessary change and will attempt to minimize the impact of change on the lives of teachers and other key staff members. 

this clip can be access here