Did anybody else’s elementary school principal resign today?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the average length of service at the principal level? I really like our principal but she's been there for a while so I feel like she's ripe to jump ship for something else soon.

Our principal has said she has to fight to stay, that Gatehouse wants them moving around.

That's interesting. Some principals do stay for many years, but assistant principals tend to move around a lot. Many APs would like to become principals and it's easier to land a principal's job if you can say you've worked at multiple schools with different academic and demographic profiles.

FCPS works like a shady corporation-it's all about the games they play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the average length of service at the principal level? I really like our principal but she's been there for a while so I feel like she's ripe to jump ship for something else soon.

Our principal has said she has to fight to stay, that Gatehouse wants them moving around.

That's interesting. Some principals do stay for many years, but assistant principals tend to move around a lot. Many APs would like to become principals and it's easier to land a principal's job if you can say you've worked at multiple schools with different academic and demographic profiles.

FCPS works like a shady corporation-it's all about the games they play.

+1.

[Anonymous]

She is not a good principal for students, families, or staff. Hopefully the Ravensworth community gets an effective new principal and leadership team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ravensworth Elem principal left effective tomorrow. No replacement but she was offered a position at "another FCPS school" and took it.

For anyone wondering how she is in case she's replacing your principal, she's pretty good. She has 2 kids at LBSS and seems to really care about the environment the school is making for the kids. She was out at kiss and ride most days helping to get kids into cars quickly and seemed pretty good to the staff from a parent and PTA board stand point.

Your comments are not accurate. And showing up to kiss and ride does not make you a good administrator. There are much bigger issues that need attention than kiss and ride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ravensworth Elem principal left effective tomorrow. No replacement but she was offered a position at "another FCPS school" and took it.

For anyone wondering how she is in case she's replacing your principal, she's pretty good. She has 2 kids at LBSS and seems to really care about the environment the school is making for the kids. She was out at kiss and ride most days helping to get kids into cars quickly and seemed pretty good to the staff from a parent and PTA board stand point.

Your comments are not accurate. And showing up to kiss and ride does not make you a good administrator. There are much bigger issues that need attention than kiss and ride.

She seemed involved and seemed to care about the students and the school based on my experience with 2 kids in the school. Was she perfect? No, but we could do much, much worse. I'm sorry you had a different experience.

Hopefully we'll get someone who is able to be an improvement on what we already had and not a downgrade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ravensworth Elem principal left effective tomorrow. No replacement but she was offered a position at "another FCPS school" and took it.

For anyone wondering how she is in case she's replacing your principal, she's pretty good. She has 2 kids at LBSS and seems to really care about the environment the school is making for the kids. She was out at kiss and ride most days helping to get kids into cars quickly and seemed pretty good to the staff from a parent and PTA board stand point.

Your comments are not accurate. And showing up to kiss and ride does not make you a good administrator. There are much bigger issues that need attention than kiss and ride.

Former teacher: It's a better indicator than you think. It helps the principal know the kids, for one thing. It relieves teachers of duty for another thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the average length of service at the principal level? I really like our principal but she's been there for a while so I feel like she's ripe to jump ship for something else soon.

5 years in fcps.

The Principal at my kids old ES has been there at least 10 years. He was there the year before my kid started K, all the way through 6th grade graduation, and is still there 2 years later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She is not a good principal for students, families, or staff. Hopefully the Ravensworth community gets an effective new principal and leadership team.

One thing I have noticed after having kids at schools across the country over nearly 20 years, is that when a principal is bad, everyone knows it. Teachers, parents, staff and students will complain openly and often. No one is sad when they leave.

Usually though, with good to average principals, most people love them or are neutral, with complaints coming from just a handful of people.

From my experience, those handful of people either have a legit individual complaint often related to special ed accomodations or perceived bullying, which make the principal a "bad principal" for them even if the principal is loved and respected by everyone else.

The other instance where I see people claim a principal is terrible when they are actually competent and well respected, is usually during middle and high school. This tends to happen when a kid is a troublemaker, the school finally quit accommodating their behavior and started punishing them, and the parent wants someone to blame.

For example, I have an acquaintance from sports teams with an otherwise affable and sweet kid, who cuts class to walk around school, vapes in the bathroom, doesn't turn in work, skips school, and otherwise is not an engaged or well behaved student. The school was patient and tried to work with the family, but after a couple of years of that, the school lost patience with the kid and started enforcing rules. The parents had many meetings with the school, which started to get really heated as the consequences started to get enforced.

My acquaintance will complain about the very well respected, competent and fair principal to anyone who will listen. She will blame the boring, unengaging teachers for her kid being disinterested in learning. She blames the school, and the district. It is well known that her kid cuts class and isn't a great student.

I think it is always important to take these kinds of complaints against principals with a grain of salt, especially on an anonymous message board. Perhaps the statement is accurate, perhaps not. But there is definitely a backstory which might or might not favor the person calling names. It could just be that while otherwise wonderful for 95% of the families, the principal is just not a good principal for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She is not a good principal for students, families, or staff. Hopefully the Ravensworth community gets an effective new principal and leadership team.

One thing I have noticed after having kids at schools across the country over nearly 20 years, is that when a principal is bad, everyone knows it. Teachers, parents, staff and students will complain openly and often. No one is sad when they leave.

Usually though, with good to average principals, most people love them or are neutral, with complaints coming from just a handful of people.

From my experience, those handful of people either have a legit individual complaint often related to special ed accomodations or perceived bullying, which make the principal a "bad principal" for them even if the principal is loved and respected by everyone else.

The other instance where I see people claim a principal is terrible when they are actually competent and well respected, is usually during middle and high school. This tends to happen when a kid is a troublemaker, the school finally quit accommodating their behavior and started punishing them, and the parent wants someone to blame.

For example, I have an acquaintance from sports teams with an otherwise affable and sweet kid, who cuts class to walk around school, vapes in the bathroom, doesn't turn in work, skips school, and otherwise is not an engaged or well behaved student. The school was patient and tried to work with the family, but after a couple of years of that, the school lost patience with the kid and started enforcing rules. The parents had many meetings with the school, which started to get really heated as the consequences started to get enforced.

My acquaintance will complain about the very well respected, competent and fair principal to anyone who will listen. She will blame the boring, unengaging teachers for her kid being disinterested in learning. She blames the school, and the district. It is well known that her kid cuts class and isn't a great student.

I think it is always important to take these kinds of complaints against principals with a grain of salt, especially on an anonymous message board. Perhaps the statement is accurate, perhaps not. But there is definitely a backstory which might or might not favor the person calling names. It could just be that while otherwise wonderful for 95% of the families, the principal is just not a good principal for you.

Great post. Know just the type of kid you describe. Eventually the kid transfers to a Flint Hill or O’Connell and the parents spend the next decade bad-mouthing the public school, the principal, and FCPS. Meanwhile those at the school who tried to work with the kid and the family breathe a sigh of relief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She is not a good principal for students, families, or staff. Hopefully the Ravensworth community gets an effective new principal and leadership team.

One thing I have noticed after having kids at schools across the country over nearly 20 years, is that when a principal is bad, everyone knows it. Teachers, parents, staff and students will complain openly and often. No one is sad when they leave.

Usually though, with good to average principals, most people love them or are neutral, with complaints coming from just a handful of people.

From my experience, those handful of people either have a legit individual complaint often related to special ed accomodations or perceived bullying, which make the principal a "bad principal" for them even if the principal is loved and respected by everyone else.

The other instance where I see people claim a principal is terrible when they are actually competent and well respected, is usually during middle and high school. This tends to happen when a kid is a troublemaker, the school finally quit accommodating their behavior and started punishing them, and the parent wants someone to blame.

For example, I have an acquaintance from sports teams with an otherwise affable and sweet kid, who cuts class to walk around school, vapes in the bathroom, doesn't turn in work, skips school, and otherwise is not an engaged or well behaved student. The school was patient and tried to work with the family, but after a couple of years of that, the school lost patience with the kid and started enforcing rules. The parents had many meetings with the school, which started to get really heated as the consequences started to get enforced.

My acquaintance will complain about the very well respected, competent and fair principal to anyone who will listen. She will blame the boring, unengaging teachers for her kid being disinterested in learning. She blames the school, and the district. It is well known that her kid cuts class and isn't a great student.

I think it is always important to take these kinds of complaints against principals with a grain of salt, especially on an anonymous message board. Perhaps the statement is accurate, perhaps not. But there is definitely a backstory which might or might not favor the person calling names. It could just be that while otherwise wonderful for 95% of the families, the principal is just not a good principal for you.

LOL this post sounds like a principal setting up his excuses for the year ahead-maybe defending his bad reputation.

[Anonymous]

I think it is always important to take these kinds of complaints against principals with a grain of salt, especially on an anonymous message board. Perhaps the statement is accurate, perhaps not. But there is definitely a backstory which might or might not favor the person calling names. It could just be that while otherwise wonderful for 95% of the families, the principal is just not a good principal for you.

Just an outside observer here who used to be a teacher. I've known people who complained as described and I agree. Sometimes, a parent won't admit that it is their own child who is the bully--not vice versa. That said, there are certainly kids who are bullied and steps need to be taken. But, sometimes those steps include addressing parents who are in denial about their own kid.

[Anonymous]

Such gaslighting here. It is true that some parents are difficult and unreasonable. It also true that a principal may not be competent, doing their job, or holding others accountable. Stop telling parents they are pains or it must be their child because they don't care for a principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Such gaslighting here. It is true that some parents are difficult and unreasonable. It also true that a principal may not be competent, doing their job, or holding others accountable. Stop telling parents they are pains or it must be their child because they don't care for a principal.

+1

[Anonymous]

Has anyone had an elementary principal that was competent in the job and well regarded by students and teachers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone had an elementary principal that was competent in the job and well regarded by students and teachers?

Yes but they are rare and usually get beaten down by the system.