Q3. Do I understand that the core of the assistant principalship is to assist the principal, not lead the school?
As I reflect on the inquiries I've received from APs over the years about the role of the AP, many of them are rooted in this question. A question I receive may be, for example, "Principal Kafele, I have so many ideas about how the school can be better for the children, but the principal is set in ways that are, in my mind, outdated. What can I do?" My answer to such a question is
As one of the administrative leaders of your school, you have the ear of your principal. It is crucial that you earn the trust of your principal. In other words, in addition to your work ethic, following directions effectively, demonstrating loyalty, and taking the initiative in those areas that fall within your "lane," you must have strong people skills. I repeat: You must have strong people skills! To convince your principal that your ideas will benefit your school, your people skills must be solid enough for you to be able to develop a cohesive bond/productive working relationship with your principal—which is absolutely crucial. How you communicate with your principal matters. You must make developing a strong relationship with your principal one of your top priorities within your overall leadership. You'll want to strive to develop an unbreakable trust between yourself and your principal so that you put the principal in a position to believe in you and the ideas that you bring to the table.
Regarding the question at hand—Do I understand that at the core of the assistant principalship is to assist the principal, not lead the school—I hear numerous concerns, complaints, and criticisms from APs about their principals. What the APs are essentially saying is that they can't get done the things that they'd like to get done because of what they describe as the ineffectiveness of their principal. This is a very delicate and sensitive situation to be in, particularly when there is a semblance of truth to it. As a starting point, my reminder to APs is
You are not the principal of the school! Again: You are not the principal! You are the Assistant Principal and the line between you and the principal can never get blurred. You are there to assist the principal, not lead the school. Your time to lead your own school as principal (should you wish to do so) will come. In the meantime, as the Assistant Principal, your job is to learn, grow, develop as a school leader, and assist the principal in all ways possible.
All principal–assistant principal relationships are different. In an ideal principal–assistant principal relationship, as an AP, you are given the latitude and flexibility to grow and all of your ideas and suggestions for change and improvement are welcomed. However, not all principal–assistant principal relationships are ideal. Some can be quite complex, difficult, or even toxic. (We will dig much deeper into the principal–assistant principal dynamic in Chapter 3.) For now, the point of this question is to remind you to always keep at the forefront of your mind that, despite the challenges you may face in a less-than-favorable relationship with your principal, you are not the leader of the school. Your job is to assist the principal. You are the Assistant Principal.
Q4. Am I a career assistant principal or am I an aspiring principal?
This is an important question for any AP because it has direct implications for one's outlook on the current role. One who is content with being a career AP (or at least not desirous of the principalship) will more than likely approach the assistant principalship very differently from one who views the assistant principalship as a steppingstone to the principalship.
As an AP, despite my very limited exposure to the larger picture of school leadership, I was "hungry." Nothing about me was career-AP oriented. I was hungry and wanted the principalship … badly. I wanted the role of Principal like nobody's business! Although I was relegated to being a full-time disciplinarian, I didn't allow myself to be or feel defeated. I went above and beyond in everything I did and learned everything I could about principal leadership. I was not exposed to the school budget, so I sought information about school budgeting outside of my school. I was not exposed to master scheduling, so I taught myself how to develop a master schedule. I went the extra mile and learned on my own any aspect of school leadership to which I hadn't been exposed. Why? Because I was "hungry!" I wanted to be a building principal. I wanted nothing more professionally than to lead a school of my own.
Looking back, had I been content being an AP and spent my tenure assisting the principal, I imagine that I would have approached my assistant principalship quite differently and viewed it through a different set of lenses than I did. I may even have been content being a school disciplinarian. But because of my leadership aspirations, I wanted everything that school leadership had to offer.
Who are you as an assistant principal? How long have you been an assistant principal? What are your aspirations as a school leader? Do you aspire to become a principal? Are you "hungry" to become a principal? Do you want the principalship, like, yesterday? Are you content in your current role as Assistant Principal? Is the assistant principalship satisfying and fulfilling for you?
If you're hungry to become a principal, you must think as a principal … now. You must see yourself in that position … now. You must interpret all the stimuli around you within the building as though you are the principal. You must do these things without trying to function as the principal. Look at all situations as if you were the principal and consider how you would respond/react to everything imaginable if, in fact, you were the principal of your school.
If you are a career AP or simply content in your current role, my advice to you is to simply do your job to the best of your ability. Be the best version of yourself every time you walk into your school. Not everyone desires to become a principal. Everyone isn't built to be a principal. Everyone doesn't have the temperament to be a principal. Everyone doesn't have the time to be a principal given the high number of hours, during the week and on weekends, that principals must devote to their work to be effective. Everyone has a life outside of school and, for some, the balance between life outside of school and life as a principal could be challenging if not impossible. The bottom line is this: you must determine whether you're an aspiring principal or a career assistant principal/content in your role (because of the implications for your work, preparation, goals, aspirations, and your overall peace of mind).
Q5. Do I regularly engage in my own professional learning toward being an effective assistant principal?
Closely associated with the previous question, I'm now asking you about your ongoing preparation toward being an effective AP, regardless of whether you are an aspiring principal or a career AP. How much of yourself do you pour into your preparation toward effective assistant principal leadership? How much time do you devote to reading and studying school leadership? How effective are you as an assistant principal? How beneficial are you to the staff you supervise? How beneficial are you to the students that you lead? How beneficial are you to your principal? Also, how beneficial are you to the parents of your students? These questions are critical for anyone in school leadership. I want you to consider how beneficial you are to your entire school community.
The qualities that you bring to the assistant principalship as a human being—the characteristics that make up who you are—are vital. Toward developing solid relationships and being an asset to all of the stakeholders in your school, you must be one of great character who genuinely cares and wants students and staff to soar to the best of their abilities. The aspect of your character that I want to focus on here is your preparation for leadership success and your work ethic—not how hard you work, but how smart you work. The quality of your work. We've both observed many who work extremely hard but make very little progress—those who put in long hours and perhaps work