Do You Want to be our New Principal

 

Our current principal has decided to leave his position to become president of a school in Florida. Our national search committee has been asking stakeholders what they want in a principal. Here is my reply.

I am looking for a person who wants to be the principal of our school. If they come from another institution, I want them to be so impressed with our school when they visit that they will want to spend the next 20 years here. I do not want someone who has applied to 10 schools and is just looking for the title.

The candidate does not need to be the most qualified now. Instead, I want a person who will be at their best five years from now, someone who has a growth mindset and will grow as the school grows.

They will transition our school into a learning community where everyone from the custodian to the principal will be encouraged to grow in their jobs, where professional development becomes a way of life. It is easy to look good at our school; we need someone who will push us to be great.

We need someone who has a vision for the school and can articulate that vision in a motivating and inspiring fashion. Teachers become teachers to make the world a better place, but sometimes we forget why we joined the profession. I want a leader who focuses on why we do things rather than what we do.

Our school has leaders who sometimes worry just about their division. Athletics might worry about athletics, academics worry about academics, department chairs worry about their departments. We need someone who brings us together so we focus on what is best for our school. When you get this type of constructive collaboration, you can move from good to great.

We need a leader who realizes that the teachers are the face of the school, so this leader's daily behaviors should show that they care and value the teachers. When teachers feel cared for and valued, they provide that same environment for their students.

I want a person who does not think of character as a soft skill but as an important skill, who will push character development into our curriculum and make it part of our discussion—and who values well-being in the same way we value grades.