With many people jumping into administrator roles that will be starting in the 2014-2015 school year, I am often asked, “What is the best way to connect with staff?”
My answer to this? Connect with kids.
Many administrators that are new want to implement changes or try some bold ideas, and with a lack of experience, it can often come off to their staff as arrogant. Even with a ton of experience, it can replicate that same feeling. A lack of experience, or even a lack of experience in a school community, can sometimes be seen as a fault.
But what most teachers care about universally is the students. That is why they do what they do. So if they know that you, as the new “leader” of the school care about the kids just as much as they do, and show it openly, it will not only buy you a lot of time as you are learning your new role, it will also help you build credibility.
So go out at recess with the kids, spend time in the hallway with them, and go visit their classrooms to not observe the teacher, but to connect with the students.
If your staff see these interactions (and they will), they are likely to see that you are there for the same reasons they are. To do what is best for kids.
And if you can’t show that, maybe you are in the wrong place.
