Friday, June 20, 2008

question of an interim nature

The interim principal has left the building. In fact, he's fishing. But before he left, he met with each teacher. Standard end-of-year professional goal reflection review.

Here's my one memorable comment from my meeting with my interim principal:
I feel like we've been living above a fault line.
But then, just as the meeting was approaching its predictable ending, he asked:
What would be the first thing you would do to make this place better?
No one has ever me that. Has anyone ever asked you?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think I've ever been asked like that. Generally school improvement initiatives are at least generally decided at higher levels that the teacher in my experience.

I have been asked, "What's the best way we can go about improving (insert issue here)?"

It's not quite the same though. I look forward to being asked that at some point...maybe.

Chris Lehmann said...

Here was the reflection we did today:

1) What are three things you are proud of this year in your own teaching?
2) What are three goals for your teaching for next year?
3) What are three school-wide things you think we should be proud of this year?
4) What are three school-wide or larger than your classroom goals for next year?

So yeah, we ask.

Ken Rodoff said...

Chris,

Love those questions. I've spent some time answering them.

Those questions, like the one asked by my interim principal, have never been asked before.

I found / find it odd/interesting that the first administrator to ask is an interim principal.

Now that my school is moving on to its 4th principal in 2 years, I'll hope that this one not only asks these questions, but listens to and considers the responses.