The Toughest Job In Education? Maybe Not
Rosie The Assistant Principal?
LA Johnson/NPR
It's been a theory of mine that the Assistant Principal has the toughest job in education.
I got that idea a long time ago, when I was a student teacher at a middle school.
It seemed, the assistant principal's job goes something like this:
She's On duty well before the school day starts. With a walkie-talkie on her belt, making sure the buses arrive on time and that the drop-off lane is running smoothly. Then, once the bell rings, she sits in a tiny office, mostly dealing with discipline: playground scuffles, lunchroom infractions and the occasional serious problem: a knife in the backpack. Bullying. Drugs. A mixture of traffic cop and county judge: calling the parents here, a three-day suspension there, letting others off with a stern warning.
At 3:30 p.m., it's back outside for the afternoon rush. Once the parking lot clears out, off to the JV soccer game, coordinating and keeping the peace. Then into the night with a meeting of the PTA or the regional basketball tournament.
That's my theory, anyway. But I may have it all wrong.
"I'd say that's the best job," says Doug Anthony. He's the associate superintendent for talent management with the Prince George's County, Md., schools, and a former assistant principal himself.
"There's beauty in the assistant principal's position that you don't have as principal."
Sure, he says, there's the daily grunt work of running any school. But good schools and good school leaders find ways of sharing and spreading that work. And focusing on what really matters.
"The assistant principal has an opportunity to learn and grow in context," Anthony explains. "And get a certain level of coverage and freedom from the principal."
As he pointed out, "when the superintendent needs to speak to someone they usually don't' call for the assistant principal."
These differing views are important, since research over and over again shows The Toughest Job In Education? Maybe Not : NPR Ed : NPR:
