Mistakes Administrators Make

           I am an administrator trapped in the body of a teacher. I know, that sounds weird. The fact is, as much as I like teaching, I would prefer to be an administrator. Many teachers consider administration to be “the Dark Side” and I have felt this way myself, at times. Why is it that some people can work as a teacher for 20 years, then suddenly forget about what it is like to teach 5 minutes after they are made an administrator?

            In an effort to be better organized I have been keeping a work-related journal for the last couple of years. I write things that I feel work and don’t work for my students. It has been helpful in lesson planning. However, I have also been writing down things that my administrators have done that have helped or hurt our school. My goal wasn’t to have something to point at and say, “look how stupid you were!” No, I just want to learn from others mistakes. After looking at the journal, I have found three major mistakes administrators make that they probably don’t even know about.

#1 = Evaluation Fails. Teachers have to be evaluated just like any other employee. Unfortunately, these evaluations are often just plain silly. Often in administrator school, they teach that you need to find three good things a teacher does and three things to improve on. The point is to balance the good with the bad so you don’t seem like you are attacking them. However, many administrators think that means you have to have exactly 3 of each even if you really have to stretch it. I had an administrator tell me once that the posters on my wall were too old. Really? When they do this it cheapens the whole process. Also, if you are going to suggest that an improvement is necessary you had better be able to explain to the teacher HOW they can improve it or else you just look nit-picky.

#2 = Keeping Secrets. I halfway understand why administrators need to play things close to the vest. However, when decisions are made and you don’t fill your teachers in, it looks like you are hiding something from us. Have you ever noticed how often big decisions at your school are made in the summer? I understand that teachers complain about everything. It is our nature for some reason. That is not a reason, though. If you drop a program, change administrators at a site or hire new teachers, there is no reason you can’t send out a group email and let the staff know. Wouldn’t it be nice to get all the questions and complaints out of the way during summer instead of hearing it for the first month of school? BTW, teachers are smart. They might have a better idea for you and you could change things before school starts?

#3 = Telling Staff They Are Equals, but Not Demonstrating It. How many of you have heard at your school site that you are all “partners” or “family?” I’m so tired of hearing it. How can we be partners when you make all of the decisions and don’t ask for our input? I have no problem with the employer-employee relationship, but don’t tell me we are equal. It makes you look disingenuous.

            There are more tiny issues, but I don’t want to rant too long or seem like I am unhappy with my administration. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has room for improvement. These are just three of the biggest issues I have noticed over the last few years.