Administrators′ Corner
My principal has lost touch
with classroom reality
By Leisa Simapili
I
have often heard it said by teachers,
‘the school administration has no
idea what really happens in the
classroom’. I must say to some
extent I have to agree.
Now, let me set the record straight.
This is not going to be an article written
by a teacher complaining about their
administration. On the contrary, I
am an administrator. Recently, we
experienced somewhat of a mini crisis
at our school, which saw several of our
teachers being unavoidably, absent
for several days. This led to nearly all
of the school’s administration having
to take on a full teaching load for
several days. It was during this period,
that I realized that I had become too
detached from the day-to-day realities
of the classroom.
I taught for over ten years before
becoming an administrator and I
loved it. Being back in the classroom
for those few days brought back
very precious memories of my past
students. I thoroughly enjoyed being
with the students. However, I felt out of
practice and by the end of the first day,
I was more physically tired than I had
been in a while. As an administrator,
it was never my intention to become
removed from the classroom but my
days are extraordinarily busy with non-
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instructional responsibilities, which
have made me become increasingly
office-bound.
Regular classroom visits to do
walkthroughs and formal observations
are not enough. It is our role as
administrators to be instructional
leaders. To do that, we must find ways
to stay in touch with what happens
daily in the classroom. My recent
experience pushed me into thinking of
ways to keep my classroom link alive.
Below are a few strategies that I
would like to share with you.
• Establish and maintain regular
visibility and engagement in
classes. Schedule time so that,
walking around and interacting with
teachers and students becomes a
routine part of the day. Even with
the extraordinary challenges of
time management and the neverending to-do list, it is still possible
to set aside time each day for short
classroom drop-in visits.
• Talk to your teachers. This may
sound simplistic but the truth
is, if you want to know what is
happening; talk to the people who
are doing it. Teachers are often
happy to share the good, the bad
and the ugly of their classrooms with
an administrator, whom they know
Class Time
cares and will not be judgmental.
Offer suggestions and advice when
solicited and never appear to be too
busy to listen. The latter may be an
art that you will have to learn given
that you may genuinely be very
busy.
• Attend the teachers’ professional
development sessions. This is
very important. If you receive the
same training as your teachers,
they will become more confident
in your ability to lead them on an
instructional level.
• Deliver professional development
sessions as often as you can. This
will cause you to do more research
and stay current.
• Teach. Many administrators in the
Middle East do not have a teaching
load but it is highly beneficial
wherever possible to continue to
teach at least one class. This is the
most effective way to stay in touch
with what is happening in the
classroom. Additionally, it certainly
will do wonders for your credibility
among teachers.
Being an administrator is sometimes
a thankless, isolated job. As school
leaders, we often find ourselves trying
to balance everything. I hope some of
the strategies mentioned in this article
will help to bridge the gap.