I recently tweeted a few weeks ago the following statement: “Admin life does not end on the last day of school.” A few people responded privately saying, “I am glad I am not the only one that thinks this” or “ That is so true!” I smiled as I read them and replied.There is no such thing as a vacation when taking on a role in admin. We might not be on campus but we are surely working, thinking or reading. I am glad I wasn’t the only one feeling or thinking that way.
Tag: schools
Reflecting on my first year as an AP
For the last twelve days I have been reflecting over the past school year. I have completed my first year as an AP and I felt as if I was on a roller coaster. There were many ups and downs and I found myself going round and round.
Thinking back on the year there are some things that I would do differently. In the moment, it’s difficult to analyze all situations. I don’t think anyone even with years of experience would have an answer for everything. Being in education there isn’t a day that repeats itself. There is never a dull moment because you are always on your toes.
Goodbyes
Working in International Schools is not easy. I am finding it harder and harder year after year to say goodbye to wonderful admin/teachers. As a teacher I used to hide so that no one could come and say bye as I know that tears will start rolling down. Being in an admin role I knew that I couldn’t do it as everyone wants to come by and say bye. Those whom I built relationships with were the hardest. With some of them, I managed to say bye from far and waved and gave them a flying kiss. They understood the way I am with goodbyes. Those who don’t know how I am with goodbyes probably thought I was weird, cold hearted and heartless.
Professionalism
Recently I tweeted the following statement: “Professionalism is…” A few people responded with their opinions.
What is professionalism in your eyes? How does it look and feel in your school?
Nearly completing my first year as an AP, I have come to wonder how professionalism is seen through other people’s views. I found myself comparing my own professionalism as a teacher for the past 10 years to now as an AP.
A Manager vs. A leader
My dear colleague yet again came to my rescue. He gave me an interesting article to read. It wa
s all about a manager and a leader and the differences between the two and the characteristics of each one. He handed it to me and told me to read it and then we would discuss it and that he would like to hear my feedback. I didn’t understand why he wanted me to do that but I went ahead and read it while I was doing my physiotherapy session.
Do things ever calm down?!
Our days are getting crazier by the second. My to do list is getting longer and longer. There is not enough minutes in the day to get everything done. Not when you have meetings, parent meetings, staff to check in on, students problems to solve and the list goes on and on. I am sure many of you in an admin role can relate and understand what we go through. I have schedules I need to work on for next year but I can’t seem to get around to it. We had to edit reports cards last week which was about 603 pages. We had parent conferences this week and so many issues took place in between. On top of all of that, my daughter was sick with a high fever which meant many sleepless nights but managed to pull through. How? It’s beyond me. I honestly think we are robots at times and not human. Despite all of that, we get through it and get the things that need to get done. We are there for our staff, students and parents. Is it tiring ? YES. Exhausting? YES. Worth it? YES.
Coaching for the 1st time as an AP
A few days ago, I saw one of my staff members snap at another teacher without knowing. I thought to myself she might be having a bad day. A few days after that she did it again to another teacher without realizing once again. I thought wait, I need to tell her. If she’s moving up into a leadership position then she can not be like this at all. I don’t want people not liking her from day one. So I thought to myself tomorrow, I will speak to her off the record and as a friend. I knew wording it would be hard and I didn’t want her to get upset nor take it the wrong way.
Budgets & Orders
It’s that time of year where we ask our staff to place their orders for next year. We extended their deadline one extra day. The deadline day was here! Did I do my AP order for next year? No. Did I have time to sit with the KG AP and discuss what we need to order? No. Do I know how much I have as an AP to order? No. Did my excel/link work from office 365 NO. Yes, I made sure all my staff questions were all asked before I sat down to do my own order. The staff left for the weekend and I sat down for 3.5 hours straight and completed my order. The deadline was met!
Our constant battle with parents!
Why are parents becoming needy and hard to deal with year after year? Why is it always their child and no one else’s? Over the last 11 years parents have changed. I must say that I’ve seen all sorts of parents from my 1st to my 10th year teaching and has continued now into my 1st year as an AP.
Switch off & reenergize!
Thank God for the weekend. I just had one of the roughest weeks I have ever had. I am glad it’s over. There are so many things going on at once and at times it’s hard to keep up with. Friday is family day, one day out of the week should honestly be dedicated to spending time with your family. I wanted to disconnect from work and not be reached by anyone from work. Is it wrong to feel that way? So I decided to leave my work phone at home. It’s my time, my family, my sanity. I barely see my family during the week so I owe it to them to give them my undivided attention to them without any distraction.