Growing Pains! Part 1

 

Trust the Journey Series

March 1, 2026

Growing Pains - Part 1

Changing Roles without Losing Perspective

As an Assistant Principal, I was faced with new challenges. Moving into the office created a new dynamic between the staff and myself. I was also grieving having "my own students". Over the next few years, I would work hard to develop some strategies that would keep me tied to kids - and serve staff well. 

1. Observing teachers was not new for me, but scoring them and discussing those scores was tough.  We had a new rubric that expected more heavy lifting from the students. There was a lot of pushback in the beginning, but we soon realized that we were underestimating students' abilities. By trying new strategies, and allowing teachers to "mess up" along the way, were were gradually changing the mindset across our campus. 

Our teachers adapted to the new expectations, and soared. They were proud of the work their students were able to produce - and they became models for other teachers across our district and state. It was an honor to watch students flourish within their classrooms - and beyond! 

2. Disciplining students has not ever been fun. As a teacher, calling parents with bad news always created some anxiety and required a great deal of time. When students were sent to the office, our teachers had ultimately tried everything to help students with their behavior. Parents are frustrated when they are called by the administration of the school, and many did not hold back their questions. "How do you know it was him/her?"; "What is the punishment for the other student?"; "Are you really calling me because of this - is it that big of a deal?"; and the list could go on... I had attended a behavior conference a few years before that focused on trauma and the emotional needs of students. I had to begin putting some of that training into practice if I wanted to curb some of the discipline we were seeing. 

Through communication with parents and teachers, we began to create a system of accountability partners at school. We simply called it the "Check In/Check Out" program. Different adults on campus (including me) would check on students throughout the week - sometimes several times each day.  Our focus was reminding students of expectations, celebrating small wins, and holding them accountable when they did not meet expectations.  These could be used as Tier 2 or 3 behavior interventions depending on the needs of the student.  

This program revolutionized discipline at our school. It began a culture focused on "our kids" instead of "my student".  And, each stakeholder began to understand that fair is not always equal.  Each student has unique needs - and every need must be met. We saw a decrease in office referrals - and an increase in student confidence.  Having someone rooting for you goes a long way! 

3. Knowing standards and creating meaningful, engaging lessons around those standards was always a fun part of teaching for me. The instructional coach position allowed me a lot of opportunity to work with teachers on their lesson creation and assessments that reflected the expectation of the standards.  I was very afraid that moving into the Assistant Principal role would move me a step further away from the classroom.  I had to find intentional ways to connect with classroom instruction and kids.

Since Social Studies was my favorite subject to teach, I asked teachers if I could guest teach occasionally. They were very quick to allow me to do this ;) It gave me a chance to share my love for geography and history with students - and I got to model for teachers that social studies can be fun! 

Later, I was invited to develop curriculum frameworks for social studies at the district level.  I was the only administrator on the team - and worked with teachers from across the district. This allowed me stay closely involved in teaching and learning. 

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Throughout my first few years as an Assistant Principal, I learned how important it is to work for a principal that is willing to embrace the strengths that you bring to the campus. She allowed me to shape my position around those strengths. When talking with other administrators, I quickly realized that this is not always the case. She was never threatened by my strengths, and I was never threatened by hers.  She taught me that those differences are what made us special - and allowed us to care for our people in the best of ways. 

Throughout our years together, she definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone to learn new things, but she reminded me repeatedly that "mistakes are proof you're trying". She allowed me to learn from my mistakes in a safe and supportive environment. She did this for our entire staff - this created a secure environment for all stakeholders to try new ideas and take risks. 

Over the years, I gradually took over most SBLC, IEP, and 504 meetings. This allowed me to further build relationships with teachers, families, and students. I was the transportation contact for all bus drivers, managed our social media pages, and was the crisis team leader.  I was learning how to work with all kinds of people - and to help with difficult situations. 

These roles were slowly preparing me for the principal role... if I ever decided that I wanted to lead a school. I new that if I ever decided to apply, I would need to lead the way she lead - always focused on strengths and fully supporting each student - and staff member on campus.