Faceless Administration. Absentee Leadership. Rudderless ship. Do they have anything in common? Of course they do!
As a leader, it’s important to be visible. As a principal or school leader, there are certain crucial times to be out and about at school. Of course, it’s great to be out at any time during the school day, but unless there is a true emergency, your priority has to be out and being seen during the following times: before school, after school, lunchtime, and class changes. And if you’re elementary… even recess occasionally.
You need to see things and be seen by others also. A good leader has to be out and about. You’ve heard the old saying, “management by walking around”. There’s some truth to that saying. Be friendly! You don’t want it to be seen that you’re only there to “check up” on things. Also, say good morning to everyone that you can. I can’t count the times that I’ve heard teachers, parents, or staff members mention that a Superintendent, central office member, or principal didn’t acknowledge them. (Being “on a mission” isn’t an excuse either.) Don’t scoff… it’s really not a small thing.
Before school – why is that important? If you are seen at the bus loop on a somewhat regular basis, you can have an opportunity to speak to parents as they drop their children off. You never know what issues or problems you can head off by being available for a quick comment in the mornings. Your presence is also reassuring to parents, students, and bus drivers. You can also check the demeanor of the students as they get dropped off by parents or the buses. An upset student with a personal problem, a potential fight, or a student with no jacket or inappropriately dressed can be helped before the day even begins. Lastly, if you go outside of the building in winter and freeze along with the others on duty for a while, you will be amazed at how much good will and credibility you gain with your staff members. They will know that you do not consider yourself to be better than them. This is a great example of leading by example.
After school – While I’ve not seen an official study on this topic, I would have to say from many years of practical experience that most fights between students happen at the end of the school day. (Adults on the other hand, are adept at arguing anytime during the day…) Be available for when a bus slot is empty during the afternoon loading. Be available in case a disciplinary issue arises on a bus. Have a contingency plan of how to deal with this. Make sure the office makes an announcement one last time before the buses leave. It’s a good idea to station yourself (or another person) at the front of the buses to make sure that no bus leaves until all issues are solved and all students are on the buses. Once they’re gone, it’s VERY difficult to bring them back. And why would you want to?
Lunchtime – This can be a great times for students (and teachers, if they’re not on duty) to “recharge their batteries”. However, it can also be a potential landmine in your day. The principal or the assistant(s) should see this time as a great opportunity. I know it doesn’t always seem that way, but this is when you have the privilege to interact with your students in a manner that is less formal (and yes it is a privilege!) that other interactions. You can joke, learn about their interests, and gain great insight about how the school is running and how the classes are going. Kids are brutal in their honesty about school and their feelings when they let their guard down. admittedly, you need to take all of their input with a grain of salt, but you would be amazed at how much you can learn from talking with the students. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, it’s a great time to demonstrate your superior knowledge to your students. Like doing a Yogi Bear or Popeye imitation for them and seeing how many can guess who it is? If you don’t know who those are then I’m really getting old. ha ha okay, you could do a Bugs Bunny imitation.
Class Changes – Elementary principals don’t have quite this issue, but for middle and high school, class changes are three to five minutes of organized chaos. Bullying, bathroom vandalism, traffic jams, fights, lovers quarrels, PDAs, and accidents all seem to happen when you jam lots of bodies in a usually too small area. Being out and about will help you identify areas that need extra supervision and support. Again, watching and speaking with your students enables you (and others) to identify potential problems early and hopefully, to head them off.
And lastly, for those in elementary (or even middle) school, there’s nothing like getting out of your office for a little while and playing some kickball or chatting with students during recess or P.E. It will do them good to see you in a different light and it will definitely help your mental health.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. If you have some additional times you feel principals should be visible, let me know. Do you agree with these or is your time better spent working on other issues?
Annette, how true. One of my next posts will discuss observations and the best practices I’ve learned over the years.
A visible school administrator is an effective administrator. School “walk thrus”. Should be frequent and varied for the best outcome. I often found that making frequent walk thrus of classrooms and other areas made staff more comfortable with your presence and improved the validity of formal observations. Walkthrus also helped the administrator look for good and challenging aspects. This presence should put stakeholders at ease and help them welcome your presence.