Relationships First

Do

Keep your door open and visit teachers’ classrooms. Pop in here and there. Studies show that relationships matter. This is true for students and staff members.

Don’t

A formal observation should not be the first time you are in a classroom with teachers and students. Are you a shadowy figure behind your door or are you out in hallways and classrooms consistently? Are you another person sending out emails and speaking to us at meetings or someone we feel connected to? Teachers find it hard to support students when they feel demoralized or undervalued. Everything that doesn’t work with students––like fear-based environments or coercion––will fail with teachers as well.

Leave Clothes Out of It

Do

Find out how many jeans days your new staff had before. At the very least, as the new principal, maintain this number. Want to make friends and win people over? Up that number for immediate “Big Cheese” status.

Don’t

Make staff dress code changes as a new principal. If the biggest problem at your new school is clothing you dislike, you’re in great shape. At best, sending out a memo that reads: “Plaid is no longer acceptable.” (true story) makes you look focused on insignificant details. At worst, your new changes will cause teachers to spend money they don’t have on new clothes they don’t really need.  Do not do this. In the South, we say that’s like putting lipstick on a pig.  If your school has big problems, banishing plaid is not going to hide any of them.

Slow Down

Do

Get a feel for the school before making sweeping changes.  Seek input from teachers about systems and policies in place that they like or don’t like and why.  A staff member who feels valued and heard will be much more supportive of the changes to come.

Don’t

I know you’re ready to make this school the very best it can be, but please don’t give us whiplash in the process.  We’re pouring every ounce of energy into the kiddos in our room. An avalanche of new committees, processes, rules, and meetings take away from that.  Have you seen the crazed look in a teacher’s eye at the beginning of the school year?  The intentions are good, but by creating resentment in the process, you won’t get as far.

We’re Watching You

Do

Know that the first time you handle a mistake, you’re setting the tone for your relationship with the entire staff. Teachers are human, and we will drop the ball at times. I got pulled into a meeting once after a staff member missed a pretty big detail. The principal had every right to be incredibly angry about what happened.  Instead she looked at us and said, “Okay.  Let’s make a plan for what we’re going to do right now.”  She has my undying loyalty, and I would go back to work for her again in a heartbeat.

Don’t

Throw your teachers under the bus.  You cannot support students without supporting teachers. Fix the problem at hand.  Then, take a step back to see how it happened and what steps can be taken to see that it doesn’t happen again.  When a principal bad mouths a teacher to me, or, even worse, to parents, I know he is completely untrustworthy.

As teachers, our number one priority is supporting our students.  What we want most from a new administrator is someone to work alongside us to do that.  Spend time getting to know us, our students, and the school.  Work to build a community, so we can work as one to make this the best school ever.

Reference: https://www.weareteachers.com/teachers-want-new-principal-to-know/?fbclid=IwAR1xeAICnfyPF1pLfo8L_JYQFQ8onmYKJ6PPj3bhbEsG14kbF8-5r5dvSZA

1. Document everything

And when we say everything, we mean everything. Lesson plans, all communication with parents and administrators, and any kind of problematic behavior you have in the classroom. Whether your principal is a micromanager or seemingly absentee, written proof of what you do on the job will help your case. “Communicate in writing as much as possible,” stresses Brittany N. And if your principal insists on having a face-to-face conversation, “nothing saying you can’t send an email confirmation afterward,” says Susan H.

“Communicate in writing as much as possible,” stresses Brittany N. And if your principal insists on having a face-to-face conversation, “nothing saying you can’t send an email confirmation afterward,” says Susan H.

If things are really bad? Consider recording conversations or in-person encounters, but first, make sure it is legal in your state. “We had an awful principal and he would lie like crazy when we made complaints,” says Alice H. “Finally we caught him on tape. The tape directly contradicted what he and his coerced witness had given in testimony in a grievance hearing. He is now gone.”

2. Keep calm and do your job

If your principal is flagrantly breaking laws or ethical codes, it may be important to speak up. But many of our veteran teachers advised that for your more run-of-the-mill bad principal, the best course of action is to stay out of the way. “I know it sounds awful, but the less contact the easier it is for you,” says Phil F.

A principal can go from bad to worse if she feels aggrieved or attacked, so try to stay calm and professional in your interactions whenever possible.

“Keep opinions and gossip to yourself and focus on the kids,” says Barbara N.

3. Tap your union reps

TOPIC:  School Culture & Colleagues

Career Advice

How To Deal When Your Principal Is a Jerk

Is your boss a micromanager, passive-aggressive, or just a straight-up bad principal? You’re not alone. Here’s how to deal.

 Hannah Hudson on July 21, 2017

Let’s face it. Bad principals happen. 

And when you work for one, it can be hard to know how to deal. Do you stick it out, particularly if you enjoy other aspects of your school? Do you confront your principal about particularly aggressive behaviors? Do you go to district admin or your union reps?

We asked our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE members, many of whom have worked for bad principals in the past. Here’s the advice they had to share:

1. Document everything

And when we say everything, we mean everything. Lesson plans, all communication with parents and administrators, and any kind of problematic behavior you have in the classroom. Whether your principal is a micromanager or seemingly absentee, written proof of what you do on the job will help your case. “Communicate in writing as much as possible,” stresses Brittany N. And if your principal insists on having a face-to-face conversation, “nothing saying you can’t send an email confirmation afterward,” says Susan H.

“Communicate in writing as much as possible,” stresses Brittany N. And if your principal insists on having a face-to-face conversation, “nothing saying you can’t send an email confirmation afterward,” says Susan H.

If things are really bad? Consider recording conversations or in-person encounters, but first, make sure it is legal in your state. “We had an awful principal and he would lie like crazy when we made complaints,” says Alice H. “Finally we caught him on tape. The tape directly contradicted what he and his coerced witness had given in testimony in a grievance hearing. He is now gone.”

2. Keep calm and do your job

If your principal is flagrantly breaking laws or ethical codes, it may be important to speak up. But many of our veteran teachers advised that for your more run-of-the-mill bad principal, the best course of action is to stay out of the way. “I know it sounds awful, but the less contact the easier it is for you,” says Phil F.

A principal can go from bad to worse if she feels aggrieved or attacked, so try to stay calm and professional in your interactions whenever possible.

“Keep opinions and gossip to yourself and focus on the kids,” says Barbara N.

3. Tap your union reps

Better to go to your union before district admin, say veteran teachers. They can advise on next steps to take and stand by your side if any official complaints are brought against you. This is what your union is there for—take advantage of it.

4. Kill them with kindness

It might seem counterintuitive, but sometimes just being nice to your bad principal can go a long way and even help to flip his or her behavior. “I had a principal who would not even acknowledge me each morning,” says Lydia L. “So … in the most pleasant, non-sarcastic voice I could muster, I would happily say, ‘Good morning, __________!’ Eventually, she figured out that she wouldn’t get away with ignoring me and started greeting me like a normal, respectful person would.”

5. Get out of there, pronto

As with the corporate world, sometimes the only solution to dealing with a bad principal is to leave the school—quickly. This is especially true if you feel like your physical or mental health is suffering. “Eight months after leaving my toxic principal, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I know it sounds crazy, but I do wonder if the stress raging through my body had anything to do with the tumor,” says Lydia L.

“It can be a major drain on your health,” says Linda D. “Really, if you can, leave.”

Reference: https://www.weareteachers.com/bad-principals/?fbclid=IwAR1da8o-F7qFBsGdCMUwb317aJFqAdDLRyGZFEhSmYgRFDEUNErvkdAiWwM