Looking Back on 3 Bad New Principal Assumptions
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A little over 5 years ago, I arrived at Knapp Elementary School as a brand new 29 year-old principal. The leader I replaced was very active in the community and had spent much of his career at the school. There was a certain culture that I was entering, and understanding and adapting to this was my first task as principal. Reflecting back, I can now see some glaring blindspots I missed during those first couple of years.
The biggest “swing and misses” I took during those early days were following through on assumptions “I thought” were good for my learning community.
Assumption #1: The principal is at the top of the chain of command. He or she need not be accessed unless everyone else has been exhausted.
Fact: When working with students, staff & families, the principal is in fact the person who can put the child in the