<HTML>
In the discussions of the dearth of principals, gender and pay, an issue
which is very important and relevant to this discussion is what qualities
are essential for a good principal? Paul Shaviv in his response, gave an
excellent reply and I would like to expand on some of the areas he
described from the perspective of a teacher.
1. A principal must create a respectful learning community. This applies
to both staff and students. The situation described in the original
posting of a teacher of twenty years experience who is suddenly inadequate
just doesn't make sense. What have been the strengths of the teacher? How
has the principal acknowledged and built upon them? How has he observed
classes and discussed his observations with the teacher? How does the
TEACHER feel about all this? He might be happy for guidance when he feels
he is no longer reaching his students and may be eager for other
opportunities. A teacher is more than an entity to "keep a file on" - but
an essential part of the chinuch team.
2. Professional growth and supervision is a time consuming and ongoing
task of primary importance. But even a simple improvement can yield
significant results. In order to participate in a Tal Am conference, I was
required to submit videotapes of my class and also a detailed overview of
my curriculum, month by month with special attention to objectives, skill
development, etc. This is a very instructive exercise for a teacher and it
is worthwhile to review these with a principal and/or colleagues. The use
of video and submitting yearly plans and lesson plans are important for
both teacher and administrator. But it must be more than just a task for
the teacher. The principal must meet with the teacher to discuss this type
of reporting and do follow-up.
3. Mentoring and collaboration between teachers are important and time
needs to be given for these. For example, in having to videotape a
colleague, I learned some important tips on teaching my own class. A good
administrator will facilitate learning from one another, and again a
respectful culture. Mentoring has also been a subject of numerous articles
in education literature.
4. What can be done so that a teacher does not get to that "burned out"
stage? This is also the job of a good administrator -hakarat hatov.
5. Teachers should be encouraged/taught to develop a portfolio of their
best practices and there should be opportunities to share their ideas and
also opportunities for recognition of excellence in practice. A teacher
should not have to wait for retirement to be recognized. These are a few
ideas. Are there any readers of the list who will be involved with the
principal's conference in Israel?
Barbara Freedman
Hebrew Academy, Montreal</HTML>
