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Best Practices in Resource Leadership (May 2008)
Stacy Gillette, principal
Luverne Elementary School, Luverne (ISD 2184)
Spring Fever:
Make the time to get out of your office!
I have a horrible case of spring fever. I love the fresh smell in the air and an overall sense of rebirth and renewal. As a principal, however, this season also brings with it a certain level of trepidation. Enrollment. Budgets. Testing. Staffing. These issues are enough to give any principal the chills.
It is this time of year when we work to bring the current year to a close and begin our planning for the next year. As an experienced administrator, I should be prepared to be inundated with questions that need answers and decisions that need to be made. I try to anticipate what issues and items may need my attention. I wrap up all my staff evaluations early and keep abreast of the major curriculum purchases we will need to make. I meet with teachers to review student concerns and make sure parents are involved in these discussion. We plan out our field trips and testing schedules.
Even with all this preparation, I still feel uneasy entering this time of year. Will we get an increase in our budget to cover the rising costs of our supplies? Is there a better way to do our testing and, are our students ready? Will the computers work for the new science tests? Who is retiring? What positions will need to be hired? What will our enrollment be?
As the testing boxes and paperwork pile up in my office, I am overcome with the weight of everything that still needs to be done. I feel anchored to my desk while attempting to make sure all the “t”s are crossed and the “i”s are dotted. I feel disconnected from my staff and students, and time just seems to slip away. It is at these times that some administrators wonder if the grass is greener somewhere else.
And it is at this point when I make the conscious effort to get out of the office. I head outside to enjoy a sunny afternoon of playground duty. I make the time to visit classrooms and read to students. While I admit this is easy for me to say and difficult for me to accomplish, I feel it is necessary. I find that if I break myself away from my office, even for 10 minutes, and get refreshed and gain a new perspective on why I am doing all of this. The boxes can wait and the e-mails will still be there when I return.
One of the things I like about working in a school is that there is a definite beginning and a definite end to each year. For the most part, the year runs in a predictable cycle. Spring is just another part of that cycle. It can be a tumultuous and capricious time of year, but it is rewarding to know that we are coming to an end of another great year of progress and growth.
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