As I enter my first year as an administrator I realize how important trust is in a school system. It is what holds us together, and allows us to build something great. There are so many relationships within a school that rely on trust. The trust that exists, or does not exist between parents, teachers, and administration lays the groundwork for success. I do not believe that just because there is trust a school will automatically be successful, but without a strong, trusting relationship there can be no success.
As I was beginning to learn about my new school, I quickly learned something went wrong last year. Both myself, and the principal are new. The old administration of principal and vice-principal only lasted a year. I'm sure there was a list of reasons why the administration had to be changed after only a year, and I would guarantee a lack of trust was extremely high on the list.
Knowing this I wanted to start off on the right foot, and get to know the teachers' strengths. So the first thing I did was make sure I knew as much as I could about each staff member. I read through all their past observations and was amazed at the talent that lies within this school. I started taking notes about amazing things these educators are doing and I have tried to commit them to memory, but honestly the list seems to go on and on and I don't think I will have them memorized by the time school starts.
To let the staff begin to know me, I called them at home. I just wanted to introduce myself as the new Assistant Principal, and let them know if they ever needed anything throughout the year they could always come and see me. I told them how I excited I was to see their lessons in person. I said thank you for some of the things they have done for the district in the past, and while I was not there to observe these accomplishments, they no doubt made our school and community stronger.
I know I have a long way to go, that trust is not something you can snap your fingers and earn. I hope by reaching out to the staff we have begun the process of building a relationship where we can trust each other. I know there will be difficult times that arise throughout the year, but if I can trust the teachers, and they can trust me, we can work together to do what is best for the students.
