1. SWG#3 EDU5263 Fall 2010 Ed Bell The Man in the Principals
Office Another thing that Ed often does is get all hepped up about
next year at the close of the year. He might as well give up,
because teachers are too tired, too involved in the winding up of
the classroom, to get very excited about next fall. And its very
boring to the staff that are not coming back to talk about next
years class. Teacher, Taft ElementaryTime is Not Always on Your
Side.Despite what the Rolling Stones may think, time can often be
ahindrance especially in the workplace. Principals are not
anexception to this rule. The principals role is a difficult one,
theymust not only manage the day-today workings of a typical
schoolbut they must also have the hindsight and foresight to
control thepast present and future in order for their institution
to continue tooperate. This task often requires the principal to
delegate duties tostaff members and require assistance from the
school board butultimately the ownership and responsibility lies on
the principalsshoulders. A Year in the Life Begin planning for the
following school year only three months into the current year.
Submit next years estimated budget in the first week of December.
Target student teachers that show promise in hopes of hiring them
for the following school year in the month of February. Ask faculty
their preferences (grade, room etc.) for the following year and
already begin to make assignments in March. Curriculum changes done
by April Inform teachers to begin preparing major assignments for
the following school year in April. Students attending next
September need to be brought in to school in May with their parents
Critical Analysis to prepare them for next fall. Talk as the work:
Begin thinking about the class assignments is an example of Gronns
analysis of control. In this case it appears that Ed Bell might be
using reply ii: Talk at. Although this may be a general statement
to all teachers it is very clear that Ed is talking at his faculty.
Seven-Lesson School Teacher: Gatto lists the first lesson every
teacher teaches, confusion, and in this case the lesson is being
taught amongst staff. This confusion most certainly gets relayed to
the students. While Ed is caught in the future and his teachers are
dependent on him for the present we see a disconnect that is the
result of to much being taught or in this case managed. The notion
of a principal living on an overlapping 19 month calendar is
extended to all contemporary school settings despite the fact that
the job description given by most principals involves starting and
finishing a 12 month year where for nine months the primary focus
is student learning.
2. The cycle of the principalship 2010 : A Glimpse notHadley on
one school year but My actions to date are at focused on carrying
out the three year school success plan.Within the halls of Hadley
Junior High School in Gatineau, Quebec students and teachers alike
are filled Dodi Payne, Vice-Principal, Hadley Junior High
Schoolwith a sense of enthusiasm that only a Friday afternoon can
bring. Administrators are without this unbridled SWG#3 EDU5263 Fall
2010joy for the weekend as that would imply that there week was
coming to an end. While the majority of theschools inhabitants will
enjoy the first week of Christmas shopping the administrators will
be attendingschool success plan meetings and the only other people
in the building will be the schools after-hoursmaintenance
crew.This is the norm for an administrator, while others are
enjoying a well deserved break they are heldaccountable to work
longer hours and during the summer months. The planning for the
current school yearand future school years are done well in advance
and in conjunction with provincial and regional governingboards. In
the case of Hadley, a three year plan is created. This three year
plan follows the schools missionstatement, objectives, and includes
detailed strategies and action all of which are compiled into what
isknown as the school success plan. The ultimate goal for the
principal is to help plan this three yearendeavor and ultimately
see it through. This differs in comparison to the world of Ed Bell
seen in Harry F.Wolcotts The Man in the Principals Office who lives
on an overlapping 19 month calendar that focuses onthree separate
school years because the plan is created and then committed to over
the three year course andthen not until the end of the cycle does
the focus shift to planning the next three years. The principals
maingoal in planning this three year cycle is delegating and
appointing colleagues to ensure its success and allowfor a
concentrated focus for holistic success.Compared to the to do list
Hadley seems to have found a different schedule. For example
students whoare new to Philemon Wright High School and Hadley
Junior High School are given an orientation dayduring the first few
days of the school year. These days are dedicated to the typical
grades that have newstudent populations. For instance the first day
of school is only open to grade 7 and grade 9 students.
Thefollowing school day only grades 8, 10 and 11 can enter the
building and the grade 7s and 9s are asked tostay home. On the
third day all grades are brought in.Often times the frustration and
confusion of planning on a three year calendar is passed on to
staffmembers. This is also portrayed in Wolcotts ethnography.
Whether or not this confusion that is alsorelayed in Gattos Seven
Lessons accidentally or not is a matter of debate. 2
3. SWG#3 EDU5263 Fall 2010YOUR GUIDE TO BECOMING &
REMAINING A PRINCIPALSo you want to become a principal? Career
decisions about becoming an administrator are made early. In order
for CRITICAL THINKERS: WHO NEEDS THEM?you to become a principal
there are two processes are linked to ideas of:(a) Sponsorship
(akaneeds to be done in order to become a principal, After looking
at what sponsored mobility) andwhat to expect
asadministrationitwill recruit to see they all thesewill be
beneficial to a schools administration; Many current a principal is
important those that can see ideas are connected to researchare
essentially done in the field of to become a principal. these
current principals that has been sponsoring others This idea Metz
in the article Real school: A universal drama education. Mary is
proven through Wolcotts ethnography stating that: Sponsorship
appeared to have been a key amid disparate experience (1989)
relates the idea principals in the district had achieved their
administrative status factor in the process by which many of the of
conformity in (p.194). education back to what we need to expect as
principals. Metz (1989)(b) GASing (aka contest mobility) meaning,
Getting the-Attention of-Supervisors looks at the idea of teachers
as normalisers also bringing back the control in autonomy. As
principals, kind of attention without appearing that you are trying
too hard to get it. idea of The keyvs. GASing is to get the right
it is important to make sure (Wolcott, p.198) teachers are teaching
the individual; we need to learn how autonomy can The idea ofschool
wecan also be linked to formal academic preparation; school
administrations generally do be used within the GASing run. WHAT TO
EXPECT AS A PRINCIPAL... Conformity The terms autonomy is very
present in the day in the life of a In the article Talk as the
Work: The Accomplishment of School Administration (1983) Gronns
ideas can be related back to the idea of socialization in
supervision or socialization as principals. Peter Gronn Between two
thirds and suggests that talk is the medium for interaction. We
learns that talk can be three quarters of the total used to build
coherence, consistency and meaning in the institution if used
working time of a principal correctly. For example, within the
central system of the school board there or superintendent isthe
Bring on spent is constant principal Eddownward communication
betweenwant to give up our As upward and Bell states: Most of us
dont teachers, talking...talk isRevolution students, administration
etc. the conformity. Im high onwithin the (Wolcott, p. Learning the
work autonomy for the sake of flow of communication that list
system (Gronn, 1983, Individual is important. Ed understands the
power of the central office (aka. the school Teaching the p.2).
208). board); however he also speaks to us about the strategies he
uses in order to achieve autonomy. For example, making sure there
are few complains,
http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html
-THEY SAID WHAT?!?- going ahead with a program without making a big
issue, and as Ed states not doing anything that will rock the boat
too much (Wolcott, p. 209). Principal socialization Socialization
relates to the role the principal takes (i.e. knowing what
behaviour is appropriate) As Ed Bell also states: I think its just
luck, catching someones ear, or being at the right place at the
right time. Different kinds of information principals control and
use (i.e. knowing information about different There were other guys
who had been around longer than me when they asked me to take on my
first job as an people) acting principal (Wolcott, p.193). Each
principal is there for a reason, and in order to get into that
position you Socialization related to the educator subculture (i.e.
how well you do as a principal depends on your need to be able to
get noticed by those who matter. socialization skills and efforts;
need to know how to interact with colleagues) Expectations of
professional behaviour (i.e. accumulated wisdom based on years of
professional experience). 3
4. Socialization occurs as a function of human interaction, not
merely theunilateral action of a single individual. The socializer
socializes, but is Socialization tips from Taft teachersalso
socialized in the process (p. 266) -A school [] has an atmosphere
that either fits, or does not fit, yourself as a SWG#3 teacher (p.
231). Find a school that fits you. EDU5263 Fall 2010 Kay Johnson,
new teacher -tighten up after youve been nice and easy (p. 233) and
be prepared for the principal to drop by. Mary Lou Berg, new
teacher - THE PRINCIPALattend a church conference and dont leave
the Dont ask to leave school to AS SOCIALIZER building before 4:00
p.m. Alma Skirmish, experienced teacher In - Do not attempt to make
any changesthethe system even though it needs to a school, the
principal plays to role of socializer. New teachers if youre going
toformer teacher and Ph. D candidate encounter change experience
culturalteaching. Ellwood New, stay in compression as they
culturally patterned boundaries of acceptable behaviors (Wolcott,
p.229) that fit into the school culture. They are judged by how
well they conform to the culture. The principal may attempt to
enculturate experienced teachers who do not share his or her
educational philosophy by giving them a negative performance
evaluation or by suggesting they should transfer out of the school.
Teachers who do not agree with the principals pedagogy may be
socialized out of the school or they may attempt to
counter-socialize the principal. Teachers who do not depend on
their teaching job for status or for income may be partially immune
to socialization efforts. Loosening the Coupling The formal teacher
evaluation process mandated by central office is tightly coupled to
the organizational rules and policies (Wolcott, 2003, p. 268) of
the educational hierarchy. Ed had to evaluate new and specific
experienced teachers each year. He followed a prescribed process
and completed specific forms in a set time frame to send to central
office. Ed used the teacher evaluation process to socialize
teachers into his pedagogical vision for Taft school or to
encourage teachers who did not fit in to transfer out of the
school. Although Ed attempted to define the situation and [teachers
were] expected to fall in line with that view (Gronn, 1983, p. 12),
a teacher used talk as an instrument or tool (p. 2) to challenge
Eds evaluation of her teaching. In doing so, Mrs. Skirmish
counter-socialized Ed and he loosened the coupling between the
final evaluation forms he submitted to central office and his
general impression that she was a traditional teacher who could not
change. This demonstrates Weicks (1976) concept that there is
increased pressure on members to construct or negotiate some kind
of social reality they can live with (p. 13) in a loosely coupled
world. Mrs. Skirmish wanted one tangible reason (p. 263) why she
should be dismissed since the things [Ed] mentioned as weaknesses
were mainly what [her] last principal had mentioned were strengths
(p. 262). The fact that the same teacher could be considered
effective by one principal and ineffective by another for the same
reasons highlights Young & Levins (2002) insight on how
difficult it is to agree on what teaching practices should be in
place in schools. 4
5. SWG#3 EDU5263 Fall 2010 Experienced teachers as socializers
In the current Ontario system the process of socializing teachers
is much more difficult than in the time of Ed Bell. While
evaluations do occur and are filed with the respective school
boards, their meaning is much diminished due to union influence.
New teachers must adapt quickly to cultural compression due to a
shortage of jobs. In a recent situation, a principal tried to have
an unfit teacher removed from the school and could not due to union
protection. No matter what approach the principal took
socialization was not possible. In this case the principal was able
to manipulate the teachers timetable in such a way that they were
disgruntled enough to take early retirement. The principal fought
back against the socialization from the board, union, and province
and was able exert his will upon the staff of the school. With
revolving principals it is very difficult to set up a long term
approach to help socialize teachers into the school community. As a
result experienced teachers are often the most influential
socializers in a school. Head of the Class
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=KZcMIL5cs7U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=jKUGowt_-
UI&playnext=1&list=PLD605BA8840 A0A59B&index=37 Source:
http://timvp.com/headoftheclass AnalysisNot only do we bear witness
to teachers and principals being socialized in the classroom but we
can also see howstudents engage in this process. Here we have Dr
Samuels who is determined to maximize the output of most
giftedstudents with little concern for what they may feel. It takes
Mr. Moore (a substitute teacher) to open the studentseyes to the
fact that they can speak for themselves and no they wont be
punished. Mr. Moore is socializing thestudents into the school
community and yet it is the students that must socialize Dr.
Samuels into the students worldat the school. Another example of
how deep socialization runs in schools. When the ideas and concepts
are boileddown we find the notion socialization at the core of
everything a school does. The principal socializes the
staff,students, parents and administration. On the flip side the
principal is also socialized by the staff, students, parents
andadministration. Through looking at Ed and the reality of these
other examples we come back to the conclusion thatthe main goal of
schooling is socialization and it appears in subtle manors
throughout the building. 5
6. SWG#3 EDU5263 Fall 2010 What Would Andy Rooney Think?
http://www.remotepatrolled.com/2010/05/andy-rooneys-musical-rant-60minutes/
What does SWG 3 think?
http://edu5263.pbworks.com/w/page/30490616/SWG-3 Reader Responses
to A principled principalJ. Smith, teacher, writes:I read The Man
in the Principals office after listening to Brezs rant. All of the
sudden I could see the theory that I wasreading about in the
principals qualification course I am taking come to life. I had
trouble understanding what it treatingpeople with respect looks
like until I read about how Ed Bell treated Margaret Elder. He let
her know she needed to change,gave her the option to transfer, and
acknowledged she had some good points such as empathy, even though
he did not thinkshe fit in with her staff. He could have just kept
the negative evaluation he had written and fired her. With a
concreteexample of how Ed did his work in the context of Taft
school, I have a better idea of what choices I would make if I ever
getthe chance to be a principal.B. Quinn, principal writes:Finally
a book that gives people a full picture of what it is really like
to walk in a principals shoes. What really appealed tome is that
Wolcott did not judge Ed Bell. He just showed how Ed went about
quietly doing his work. It was affirming tosee that Ed make
mistakes just like the rest of us. I think the book shows the human
element of being a principal that youdont get in most journal
articles or university courses. I hope the book shows current
principals how to demonstratecompassion and caring. Our job
involves more than increasing test scores and writing school
improvement plans.S. Alcott, parent writes:Brezs rant has made me
sad. My childrens principal is never in the building. I just
thought that was just the way it was.Now I know what we are
missing. Maybe I will go to a parent council meeting now. I know
what kinds of questions to ask.
7. ReferencesEscher, M.C. (1956). Bonds of union. Retrieved Nov
29 2010 http://www.mcescher.com/.Gato, J. T. (1992). The seven
lesson schoolteacher. In Dumbing us down: the hidden curriculum of
compulsory schooling, pp. 1-21, Gabriola Island, B.C., New Society
Publishers.Greenfield, T. (1993). Organizations as talk, chance,
action, and experience. In Thomas Greenfield and Peter Ribbins
(Eds.), Greenfield on educational administration: towards a humane
science. (pp.53-74), London: Routledge.Gronn, P. (1983). Talk as
the work: The accomplishment of school administration.
Administrative science quarterly, 28(1), 1-21.Weick, K. E. (1976).
Education as loosely coupled systems. Administrative Science
Quarterly, 21, 1-19.Wolcott, H. (2003). The Man in the Principals
office. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press.Young, J. & Levin, B.
(2002). Understanding Canadian Schools. An Introduction to
EducationalAdministration, Third Edition. Scarborough: Nelson.