Shadowing and Interviews

Brief Report of Interviews of Mr. J, Mr. K and Ms. L By Susan Cannon

Throughout all of my practicum experiences, and particularly through shadowing and interviewing, I have learned that successful administration requires: flexibility, consistency, communication, integrity and above all a passion for learning and humanity. I observed a principal and two assistant principals at a large middle school in a Metro Atlanta county.

On the day that I observed the principal, he was hiring a media specialist for the upcoming school year. I attended and participated in all of the interviews. I appreciated the fact that he used a rubric to rate each candidate. In the interview after the shadowing, he explained that the rubric was developed by members of the leadership team and the current media specialist. Each candidate was asked the same six questions by a panel of three interviewers. Between interviews, the principal ensured that he was present in the halls during transition times and that he checked in with teachers. In addition, we discussed our school wide Title I proposal and the revisions that needed to be made. In my opinion, he demonstrates servant leadership. He was on duty in the halls; hhe worked alongside secretaries stuffing letters for mailings; and he worked with teachers to develop policies and procedures. Though he is hands on, Mr. J is careful not to micromanage. He is able to delegate a task and trust the person to complete it.

In observing Mr. K, an assistant principal, I noticed a drastic difference in use of time and the ability to remain calm. While Mr. J makes a point to prioritize and remain calm in all situations, Mr. K got caught up in the details and had trouble delegating tasks to others. He could not let go of anything, so he was always frenzied and stressed throughout the day. His strength was in his ability to talk directly to staff about the importance of their work and to motivate them to step up within their classrooms.

Finally, in observing Ms. L, I noted a stark difference in the types of tasks which occupied her day to day routines. Ms. L concentrated mostly on discipline and routine safety and procedural duties. She did not have a focus on the curriculum and what was going on academically in the classrooms. In speaking with her, I think that procedure is an area of comfort for her, so she has accepted being pigeon holed in this arena. I also recognize that safety and procedures are important parts of a well run school. However, I believe that it might be more effective for all if each administrator had more balance in the types of duties for which he/she was responsible.

I witnessed administrators handle difficult situations with calm and composure and within moments show sincere excitement at the work of a student. I was given the best advice by a principal, when she reminded me that it is most important for me to be "ME" and not to let the opinions of others make me sway from what I know is right for the school, the students, the teachers, and the community.