One of my favorite arcade games is Whac-A-Mole. When you drop your token in the machine, you have a limited amount of time to "whac" as many moles as you can. In the beginning of the game, one or two moles pop their heads up and it is fairly easy to hit each one. About twenty seconds into the game, the moles start popping up three at a time and when you smash a mole with the mallet it may pop up again.
Whac-A-Mole is similar to the daily routine of a principal. From the time you arrive at school in the morning until late in the evening, moles pop up. Your job is to address each mole and to prioritize which one is most important. In this article, I am going to describe the "six moles" a principal must address in order to be a good leader.
Six Moles A Principal Must Address
- Family Concerns
Principals receive phone calls, e-mails, and face-to-face messages from families. If you work in the car-rider line at an elementary school, a parent or grandparent may share a concern with you as they drop a child off at school. When you check your e-mail, you may have messages from multiple families with a concern about something that happened the day before. There are times when a family member has a concern about something that is a district-level concern, but it is the principal's job to advocate for families and contact the central office, or assist the family in navigating communication with the central office. Families are not moles, but concerns pop up frequently and the principal cannot ignore family concerns. It is not wise to whac a family member, but the concern must be addressed. - Instructional RoundsA principal wears several hats; and the instructional leadership hat is critical to the success of the school. If a principal is focused on e-mail, returning phone calls, developing professional development, and