At the end of 2015 I made the decision to challenge myself, move out of my comfort zone, and apply for a sole-charge Principal position.
Why?
I have always loved rural areas.
In my days of teacher training, Mum and I would day dream about the little rural school I would one day be teaching in or running. We would frequently drive past Flag Swamp School, between Dunedin (where I studied) and Oamaru (where my family lives). I would picture being the sole-charge teacher (didn't put much thought into the Principal side of things back then!) and Mum and I would joke about "my school".
I also felt in a 'rut' at the end of 2015, and in need of not only a change of scene, but a new challenge in my career. I loved being a part of the Catholic School in Oamaru, but my feet were itchy!
SO, move forward several months and here I am, sole-charge Principal of a small rural school on the West Coast of the South Island.
Barrytown School is located approximately 25 minutes up the stunning Coast Road from Greymouth- a further 10 minutes up the Coast Road takes you to beautiful Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks). I moved over in January with my huge truck of possessions, my cat and my dog, my hopes and dreams too! Summer was a whirlwind of excitement and adventure! Here I was in this stunning new environment (mountains, forests, bush, rainforest, waterfall, cliffs, beaches etc. etc.) and the weather was incredible! For weeks on end I would travel up to Punakaiki to cool off in the river in the evenings- I couldn't believe the heat- and the beauty. I was exploring every nook and cranny of my new region and having a ball. How lucky was I to land in paradise?!
The unpacking (of the school paraphernalia) began and in the midst of intense heat and sweat, I slowly put my stamp on the single classroom. I was dying to change the drab and tired interior into something that would excite the children on their return. I was anxious, excited and thrilled all at once.
Fortunately, I had come over in December to meet the children, so day one was not quite as terrifying as it may have been! With my school dog (Jazz) at my side, I welcomed the children to their 'new' classroom on the 4th of February. They were, of course, excited, but also apprehensive. 2015 for the children had been a year of change and disruption. Due to a variety of circumstances, the school had been led by four principals in the past 18 months. I knew that building relationships would be a priority- more than ever before.
HOW DID I ESTABLISH SOLID RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE CHILDREN?
We all know as educators, that consistency is vital in behaviour management and building relationships with students. I knew that in this particular situation it was more important and more vital. I put a lot of time and energy in the first term, into showing- through my actions, that I was consistent, fair and calm. I established very clear expectations, reward systems, and tried to bring as much fun into the classroom as I could.
-DAY ONE BEGAN WITH A TREASURE HUNT- THE PRIZE- GOODY BAGS, DESCRIBED THE YEAR WE WOULD HAVE TOGETHER
-WE PLAYED MANY COOPERATIVE GAMES
-A LONGER "ALL ABOUT ME"/ "POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS' UNIT THAN USUAL
-CLEAR BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS
-CONSISTENCY IN MY MANNER AND APPROACH
-LOTS OF TIME TO PLAY AND RE-ENGAGE IN QUALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Some of the children were expecting me to leave, and I spent a lot of time reassuring them that I was staying for a long time, and that my personality was not going to suddenly change.
I think it is fair to say that it took longer than usually expected to develop strong relationships with all the children, but we got there in the end. There is a feeling of mutual respect, trust, and comfort in the school- this took basically all of the first term to establish, and needs constant maintenance as you would expect- and as it does in any school.
But- as we know, children are the most important, but not only, group of people to form solid relationships with.
HOW DID I ESTABLISH SOLID RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PARENTS?
As the community had experienced much change, and this was a new position for me- Principal as well as Teacher- this important aspect of school life is continuing to develop and grow. There is nothing particularly out of the ordinary that I did to work on establishing these relationships- these are things we all do as teachers- there was perhaps the added element of being seen as the leader, getting out in the community, and raising the image and reputation of the school (not that it was bad, but had perhaps lost some contact with the wider community due to changes in Principals). Again, I was conscious of being very consistent. I also knew (as much as I wanted to), that coming in and changing too many things at once would most likely be challenging for the community. So I considered how to "make my mark" without creating great alarm and disruption.
-GAVE THE CLASSROOM A COMPLETE MAKEOVER
-MADE A NEW NOTICE BOARD FOR PARENT COMMUNICATION
-MADE SOME CHANGES TO CREATE A MORE OPEN AND WELCOMING SPACE IN THE (VERY SMALL) OFFICE
-SENT OUT REGULAR NEWSLETTERS TO KEEP COMMUNICATION OPEN, PROMOTE POSITIVES, AND LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW ABOUT ME
-SHARED AFTERNOON TEA (WEEK TWO)- A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER
-ASSEMBLIES
-BEING VISIBLE BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL
-SMILING! (SOUNDS SIMPLE, BUT SO IMPORTANT)
-MAINTAINING A CALM AND APPROACHABLE MANNER
WHAT HAVE I LEARNT SO FAR?
The learning curve as a first time principal, and a sole charge one at that, is very steep. At first I was very overwhelmed with information and 'to-do's. We are fortunate to have a First Time Principal's Programme in NZ, which also comes with a local mentor. I am also working with a mentor Principal from the Ministry of Education, and know who to contact when I don't know something or have a question. I have also found the Sole Charge and Rural Teaching Principals Facebook group invaluable. There are so many other Principal's out there willing to share their ideas/ information, and provide support where needed.
This remains to be a huge undertaking, and almost two terms in, I know I am only just scraping the surface of what I need to know. I think this time next year, I will feel like I have a handle on the year as a Principal. In a nutshell, these are my discoveries;
-BEING A TEACHING PRINCIPAL IS LIKE HAVING TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT JOBS
-THE TWO ROLES CONSTANTLY CROSS OVER EACHOTHER, BUT ALSO REMAIN QUITE DIFFERENT AND REQUIRE DIFFERENT SKILL SETS
-A PRINCIPAL NEEDS TO HAVE, OR DEVELOP A 'THICK SKIN'- TAKING EVERYTHING PERSONALLY BENEFITS NO ONE, LEAST OF ALL YOURSELF
-SLEEP WELL, EAT WELL, EXERCISE!!!
-ASK QUESTIONS! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW
-BE COMFORTABLE WITH BEING A LEARNER- YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET EVERYTHING RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
-KEEP YOURSELF SAFE- MAKE SURE YOU BACK UP ALL THAT YOU DO WITH RECORDS, RESULTS, PAPER WORK ETC.
-SMILE AND BREATHE DEEPLY! ALTHOUGH YOU WILL FACE MANY DIFFERENT CHALLENGES DAY TO DAY, EVERYONE AROUND YOU NEEDS THE BEST OF YOU- THE CHILDREN, STAFF AND PARENTS
-REMEMBER THAT THE CHILDREN'S WELL BEING AND LEARNING IS ALWAYS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING AND SHOULD DRIVE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO
-HAVE FUN!!! REMEMBER THE GIFT IT IS TO BE IN SUCH A UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT, AND HAVE SUCH A CHALLENGING BUT IMPORTANT JOB
So, very briefly, that is a run down on (almost) my first two terms as a Sole Charge Principal. Some days I think the job is impossibly hard, and then I look at the children and listen to their learning and their enjoyment, and I feel pretty darn lucky!
