Truly, I’ve gotten quite a bit of advice over my career and even before I became a school administrator. I’ve read hundreds, if not thousands of articles, blog posts, and books. I’ve accumulated lots and LOTS of advice. However, once I got into the field of educational leadership, I realized that one piece of advice stood out quite a bit. Okay, maybe it’s not the BEST piece of advice (I might have to ponder upon that a bit more) but it’s a very valuable piece of advice; one that if I had learned earlier in my career, would have made life a bit easier.
I remember sharing with my principal, when I was teaching, that I was going to get my Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. After spending a good deal of time telling me why it was such a bad time to go into that field, how hard it was, and the stress that accompanied the jobs, he later dropped this “golden nugget” into my lap. At the time I didn’t realize how important that advice was. However, as time has progressed, I’ve come to see that it was so true. Okay, enough of a build-up… his advice was as follows.
“At a certain time each day, you need to stop. You will never be caught up. The in-box will never be empty. Go home and get some rest. Go be with your family. Relax.” He pointed out that as a teacher, we all have those rare, but occasional times, when our papers were all graded and entered, our plans were all done for a few weeks ahead, and most of our teaching obligations were caught up. AHHHHHH… we could relax a few days or even a weekend. He then shared what he thought was one of the biggest differences as a principal. You were never caught up completely. There was always some paperwork or documentation to done. Always some observations to be completed. Always a staff member to be hired. Always a sub position to be filled. Always an issue to be dealt with. Always a report to be filed. Always a disciplinary issue. Always a program to monitor, etc… You get the idea. Or you soon will get it.
I remember back to my first position as a high school assistant principal. My principal would go home each day at 5:00 sharp. I thought to myself, how could he just go home with so much work left undone. I was young. I was newly married and didn’t have any children yet. I did not understand. I actually thought he wasn’t as dedicated to his job as he could be. How wrong could I be? I won’t tell you what he does now, but he’s been a successful teacher, principal, Superintendent and now he’s the head of a large organization that supports education. Most importantly, he’s been (from most observations) a good husband and father. Too much time spent on your work is not always productive. You need time to recharge your batteries.
So what is the moral of this story? Work hard, make time to laugh, take your job seriously, don’t take yourself too seriously, make a difference for students and teachers, and occasionally you will need to work extra or stay late. However, to survive and not burn out (and yes, to even flourish), you need to balance your life. Go home and eat dinner with your family (or friends, if you’re single), exercise – yes you need it! Read for enjoyment, relax, make friends, try new things, volunteer, have a few adventures and remember that all work makes Jack (or Jill) dull. You can’t truly succeed or make a difference if you’re worn out.
Like I said, perhaps it’s not the BEST advice I’ve ever received, but it ranks right up there near the top. Do you agree? What would you say was the best advice regarding education that you have ever received?
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I often describe the job of a school administrator to new or aspiring principals or assistant principals as trying to get a drink of water from a fire hydrant. There seems to be no end! As a teacher, you reach the end of a lesson, a unit, a grading period and eventually a year. As an administrator, it’s just one vicious cycle. I once had a superintendent (and mentor) tell me that I needed to keep a balance between my work, my family and myself – that letting one section of this “circle” to be unfulfilled is like driving down the road on a flat tire, you aren’t going to get too far! This is sage advice. Keep up the good work!