Principal Interview

Our principal is genuinely exceptional. He exemplifies many of the traits most valuable in a leader. I admire him for a variety of reasons, but what I appreciate most is his passion for creating an atmosphere in which our paramount objective is to support our historically underserved, and most impacted populations. This passion is also met with a genuine support and empowerment of teachers to take on this difficult work. My interview with him was, unsurprisingly, very impactful and informative.

Mr. Keith is an extremely intentional principal. When asking him to explain the necessary considerations when developing a plan for professional learning, he explained the importance of having a thorough understanding of the needs of students and staff members at the school. He explained that it is also imperative to have a deep understanding of achievement data. He mentioned that it is important to provide supports and training that meet the needs of his staff, and, most importantly, that the prescribed supports must align with the goals of our school, along with district goals. None of his responses were surprising to me. It is very evident that he has high expectations for his teachers, however, those expectations are met with adequate supports and appreciation. Mr. Keith has created PLC documents and protocols that support data analysis, and assessment mapping. He is very thoughtful about the work he asks us to do, and very clear in his delivery. I believe that his high expectations, and explicit directions are only so successful because they are matched with the empowerment of teachers, and constant positive feedback.

Throughout this interview, a consistent theme was, when making changes, when possible, it is critical to move slowly, and respectfully and recognize the hardworking nature of teachers, and the important work they do on a daily basis. He explained that the greatest challenge to implementing professional learning systems, is that this work has to happen when teachers are outside of the classroom. He expressed the importance of having an adequate balance, and to be realistic and respectful of everyone’s time. As our interview progressed, it became very evident that he is very methodical when approaching professional learning. He explained that all staff members can be in far different places in terms of need for professional learning. He explained that, “It is critical to create opportunities that benefit the greatest number of people.” An additional challenge mentioned was simply that our critical PLC time is limited. Mr. Keith strives to help leaders structure PLC segments in meaningful ways. It was evident that he believes that our time is valuable, and as a result, he will create worthwhile, productive learning opportunities for all staff members. When discussing recommendations, he would give to a new principal he communicated the important of acting on most pressing needs first, while making changes incrementally. One of his most meaningful quotes during this segment was “if you are going to make people uncomfortable, or suggest a change, you need to be able to come back and show that they were successful. He also referred to integrity, in the sense that he would never ask teachers to take on work that he will not also be doing.

When asking how to leverage the teachers at the school to improve success, he explained that it is crucial to persuade teachers that the work that they are doing is the right work, and to demonstrate the importance of the work. He achieves this goal by regularly using data to empower teachers, and demonstrate that our work is effective and successful. He referenced the importance of enlisting a group of teacher leaders and empowering them to help implement new systems in a cautious, respectful manner. As one of his teachers, I believe his consistency, and thoughtful nature is what makes him so effective. Seemingly every training, meeting, and protocol he has delivered has been sifted through to only include the most important and necessary components. I have never felt as if my time has been wasted. Throughout our interview, it was very evident that he has deep respect for teachers, our time, and our work. I believe that any professional performs more effectively when they feel valued and supported. Another element that contributes to his success is that his message, and values have remained consistent. Ask any teacher in our school, and they will be able to clearly articulate that his greatest passion as an administrator, is to improve student achievement, particularly the achievement of our most impacted students, through professional learning communities, and intentional interventions. From the first staff meeting I attended, until now, four years later, his message, and belief in teachers has remained constant. His consistency has allowed people to believe in him and trust his message. I think above all, he is effective because he makes teachers feel valued and supported. This is not necessarily by being exceptionally warm, or friendly. In fact, initial interactions with Mr. Keith often seem cold and intimidating.   He is supportive in how he allocates our time and resources. He is supportive in the way he is intentional, and only schedules valuable professional learning opportunities. He is supportive in the way that he uses our data to illustrate our successes, and empowers us when improvement is necessary.

Every interview answer was impactful on my understanding of the role of an administrator. As I consider becoming a principal myself in the future, I think the most impactful themes from the interview were to value and support the work that teachers are doing, and to make changes to existing systems thoughtfully, intentionally, and slowly. Teaching is a very personal profession, and it is important to make it clear that you respect the work teachers are already doing, prior to asking them to take on more. It also really resonated with me when he explained the importance of demonstrating why new learning opportunities are important, and being able to prove that such experiences were impactful through measurable data. Teachers are incredibly busy, and it is important to only select opportunities and systems that are worthwhile. The concept of empowerment was also huge for me. Changes cannot be successfully made if teachers do not believe in the changes, and feel empowered, and motivated to take on new work. When teachers do feel supported and empowered, they are far more likely to actively embrace, and appreciate proposed changes.