Congratulations! You earned your first principalship. Your commitment to teaching and learning and student success has provided you with an amazing opportunity to do great things for students. First-year principals can also face challenges. You may be following in the footsteps of a treasured leader who has been at the school for decades. Or, you may be replacing someone who struggled or with whom staff or families butted heads. Regardless, for goal-oriented doers who are in a new role, it can be tempting to immediately start down the path of making changes instead of what matters most in the long run: you need to build relationships.
Cate Reed, seasoned administrator, current Senior Vice President of Teach For America, and Possip Reporter, gives advice for relationship-building and encouragement to first year principals.
Consider instead focusing your efforts on connecting with all kinds of people so you have the grace and goodwill to try out new things over time. Being creative and leaning into your gifts and interests can pave the way for long-term success! When you have strong relationships with the people that you spend every day with, you enjoy your work even more!
Think through all the people with whom you will spend your time. Determine how you can learn more about them and share more about yourself. Here are some tips for making the most of the first moments in a new principal job through genuine relationship-building:
Build Relationships With Teachers
It’s critical to build relationships with teachers to promote collaboration, foster a sense of community, and create a supportive work environment. Strong relationships with teachers also enhance communication, trust, and ultimately contribute to improved teaching practices and student outcomes.
Tips:
- Set up one one-on-one meetings with as many teachers as you can and set the expectation that the meetings are to truly get to know one another. Ask them about themselves, their interests, hobbies, and what brought them to teaching. Share your own story and commit to finding one thing in common with each teacher you meet.
- Create a public calendar so people can sign up on their own time, and so they can see that you truly are opening your door to everyone. This gives everyone a window into how you spend your time, and you want to meet and learn from the people on the front lines in classrooms.
