Expectations of principals

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another follow up : is your principal NOT so good? What do they do/not do?

When our principal just started, they didn't do any of the things that previous posters mentioned. No greetings, emails, didn't attend meetings. Didn't follow-up. Now a few years later, the only change is that they attend PTA meetings. Still no calls. No newsletters. No follow through. I think that this is the best to hope for from them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another follow up : is your principal NOT so good? What do they do/not do?

When our principal just started, they didn't do any of the things that previous posters mentioned. No greetings, emails, didn't attend meetings. Didn't follow-up. Now a few years later, the only change is that they attend PTA meetings. Still no calls. No newsletters. No follow through. I think that this is the best to hope for from them.

I guess the question is: do you think they are a good principal? because that is all what matters.

[Anonymous]

No, not at all

[Anonymous]

We just started at a new school w/ an established principal. He:
- Is often outside to greet students/parents on the way in (and made a real effort to greet each person on the first day).
- Greeted parents/students at club sign up night.
- Did the first day of school spiel for parents.
- Did the back to school night spiel for parents (x2, since they split the grades in half so his remarks could focus on different things & parents w/ children in different grades could do the in-the-classroom bit for both kids).
- Did a last year's test scores spiel for parents (x2, so parents could attend pre- or post-work).
- Sent a back to school email over the summer and one or two other updates since school started.
- Responded personally to my email about a bureaucratic snafu (I had just asked him to pass it on to the right person since his was the only available address and I needed an answer before school started).

I would be really sketched out if I hadn't heard from him at all yet!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just started at a new school w/ an established principal. He:
- Is often outside to greet students/parents on the way in (and made a real effort to greet each person on the first day).
- Greeted parents/students at club sign up night.
- Did the first day of school spiel for parents.
- Did the back to school night spiel for parents (x2, since they split the grades in half so his remarks could focus on different things & parents w/ children in different grades could do the in-the-classroom bit for both kids).
- Did a last year's test scores spiel for parents (x2, so parents could attend pre- or post-work).
- Sent a back to school email over the summer and one or two other updates since school started.
- Responded personally to my email about a bureaucratic snafu (I had just asked him to pass it on to the right person since his was the only available address and I needed an answer before school started).

I would be really sketched out if I hadn't heard from him at all yet!

Yes, so for instance at our Back to School Night, new principal didn't greet anyone just left other staff to speak, although she was there. She has not sent out anything yet to parents by way of introduction (except one message embedded in the newsletter). I think perhaps she is letting the communications staff person, the AP, the ED, even the board do all communication and is staying behind the scenes, but it is odd and doesn't bode well to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another follow up : is your principal NOT so good? What do they do/not do?

When our principal just started, they didn't do any of the things that previous posters mentioned. No greetings, emails, didn't attend meetings. Didn't follow-up. Now a few years later, the only change is that they attend PTA meetings. Still no calls. No newsletters. No follow through. I think that this is the best to hope for from them.

Wow, that is terrible. Red alarm bells going off like crazy to me here. I would seriously consider another school. Don’t settle for this.

[Anonymous]

Question: when you were kids how much did your parents interact with school leaders? How many newsletters/meet & greets did your parents read/attend? Why have we convinced ourselves that a principal who runs a school & doesn’t do breakfast meetings is terrible? When did our expectations become so unreasonable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, follow up question: if our AP does most of this then what should Principal be responsible for as opposed to AP?

Are you at Powell? If so, you should have been informed about the Principals absence since the beginning of the school year due to health reasons.

[Anonymous]

PP here, apologies, you said “new” principals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question: when you were kids how much did your parents interact with school leaders? How many newsletters/meet & greets did your parents read/attend? Why have we convinced ourselves that a principal who runs a school & doesn’t do breakfast meetings is terrible? When did our expectations become so unreasonable?

Good question my mom loved my principal though so I’m going to ask her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just started at a new school w/ an established principal. He:
- Is often outside to greet students/parents on the way in (and made a real effort to greet each person on the first day).
- Greeted parents/students at club sign up night.
- Did the first day of school spiel for parents.
- Did the back to school night spiel for parents (x2, since they split the grades in half so his remarks could focus on different things & parents w/ children in different grades could do the in-the-classroom bit for both kids).
- Did a last year's test scores spiel for parents (x2, so parents could attend pre- or post-work).
- Sent a back to school email over the summer and one or two other updates since school started.
- Responded personally to my email about a bureaucratic snafu (I had just asked him to pass it on to the right person since his was the only available address and I needed an answer before school started).

I would be really sketched out if I hadn't heard from him at all yet!

I'm jealous. Our principal doesn't address anything or have any meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just started at a new school w/ an established principal. He:
- Is often outside to greet students/parents on the way in (and made a real effort to greet each person on the first day).
- Greeted parents/students at club sign up night.
- Did the first day of school spiel for parents.
- Did the back to school night spiel for parents (x2, since they split the grades in half so his remarks could focus on different things & parents w/ children in different grades could do the in-the-classroom bit for both kids).
- Did a last year's test scores spiel for parents (x2, so parents could attend pre- or post-work).
- Sent a back to school email over the summer and one or two other updates since school started.
- Responded personally to my email about a bureaucratic snafu (I had just asked him to pass it on to the right person since his was the only available address and I needed an answer before school started).

I would be really sketched out if I hadn't heard from him at all yet!

Yes, so for instance at our Back to School Night, new principal didn't greet anyone just left other staff to speak, although she was there. She has not sent out anything yet to parents by way of introduction (except one message embedded in the newsletter). I think perhaps she is letting the communications staff person, the AP, the ED, even the board do all communication and is staying behind the scenes, but it is odd and doesn't bode well to me.

At our school, we don't even have that. We do not have a school newsletter. No staff seems to think that they are responsible for sending out information so, you have to ask about every little thing and then maybe there will be a message sent out maybe not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question: when you were kids how much did your parents interact with school leaders? How many newsletters/meet & greets did your parents read/attend? Why have we convinced ourselves that a principal who runs a school & doesn’t do breakfast meetings is terrible? When did our expectations become so unreasonable?

My elementary school principal was very visible to me as a child. She greeted students, visited classrooms, was in the halls during transitions, knew our names. She also coached the 7th/8th grade soccer team. My high school principal was less visible but we all still knew him and he knew lots of us. He was available to us if we wanted to talk and I had friends that did take some heavy stuff to him. I don’t remember having a school counselor, but he kind of functioned like one.

This was the 80s and early 90s in upstate NY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just started at a new school w/ an established principal. He:
- Is often outside to greet students/parents on the way in (and made a real effort to greet each person on the first day).
- Greeted parents/students at club sign up night.
- Did the first day of school spiel for parents.
- Did the back to school night spiel for parents (x2, since they split the grades in half so his remarks could focus on different things & parents w/ children in different grades could do the in-the-classroom bit for both kids).
- Did a last year's test scores spiel for parents (x2, so parents could attend pre- or post-work).
- Sent a back to school email over the summer and one or two other updates since school started.
- Responded personally to my email about a bureaucratic snafu (I had just asked him to pass it on to the right person since his was the only available address and I needed an answer before school started).

I would be really sketched out if I hadn't heard from him at all yet!

I'm jealous. Our principal doesn't address anything or have any meetings.

I’m guessing the PP is talking about Principal Smith at LT based on the specifics. He is amazing! I loved how he basically promised he would not be voluntarily leaving any time soon at one of the testing spiels he held (when someone asked)!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question: when you were kids how much did your parents interact with school leaders? How many newsletters/meet & greets did your parents read/attend? Why have we convinced ourselves that a principal who runs a school & doesn’t do breakfast meetings is terrible? When did our expectations become so unreasonable?

It’s 2019. Why are you comparing to the norm 30 years ago? It’s not unreasonable today in DC to expect the principal to be present, accessible, participate in school meetings, have coffee meeting to hear any concerns parents have, etc...

Obviously you have no expectations it sounds like. But many of us do and it’s far from being unreasonable.