The other day I had a rather interesting experience which showed me how easily principals at certain schools can create negative environments for their students. I was supply teaching at an inner city school. The classroom I was assigned to had a kitten. I am allergic to cats, so I had it removed from the room. The principal agreed to keep it in the office.
For three days I provided exemplary teaching for the students. The weekend came and went. Early Monday morning I received a call from one of the dispatchers for supply teachers. They still needed a supply teacher for this class, but another school needed one as well. The problem was that the principal had requested one that was not allergic to cats. She had complained to the dispatcher that she had been stuck with a rowdy kitten in the office all week.
Now it was my class, so the dispatcher said I could go back regardless, or I could take the new class. I was still half asleep, but I decided on the new one. I was shocked that the principal would put the well-being of herself before that of the students. Education has been proven to be most effective when students have the same supply teacher for the duration of the real teacher’s absence. This principal cast this knowledge aside for her own well-being.
I voiced this event at a recent meeting for supply teachers. They were as shocked as I was. This incident has made one thing quite obvious. The principal of a school has a critical role in the well-being of the school, the students, and the community. If a principal puts anything but the students first, the school is going to be much less than it could be. I have noticed this at my own children’s schools as well. . .
One of my children has a principal who does not get along with the teachers at the school. She is extremely good with the students, but the teachers loathe her. She is impossible for them to deal with and her word is law. She doesn’t understand the word compromise. This has led to the loss of the majority of the school’s experienced teachers. Today the school is full of less experienced, less passionate teachers who do their jobs, but do not do them well. This has adversely affected the student population at the school. Many have taken sick leaves, and even the vice-principal has retired. All this because of a principal!