Welcome to my new blog! I decided to start this new blog to share my journey from being a teacher into hopefully the educational leader of a school.
So here is where things stand so far. I have just completed the course needed to be conditionally certified as a building principal. In June, I start the last course to complete all of the educational requirements for that certification. The only other requirement is to either be an assistant principal for one year or to get a job as a principal and complete a mentorship plan during the first year. It would seem that if I were to be offered a principal position I would be all set to accept it.
That brings me to next part of this journey. Applying for and interviewing for principal and assistant principal positions. At first, I had just planned to apply for assistant principal positions as I thought I would be more likely to get one and that would give me needed experience to become a principal. Well, I soon learned that there are not many elementary schools that have assistant principals so I shifted my plan. I have applied for several principal and assistant principal positions at this point. I have already had one interview and have one scheduled for next week. My goal is to find a place that is a good fit for me to grow and learn professionally.
My first and only interview so far went pretty well I think. I mean I was super nervous and wasn’t as articulate as I would like to have been, but it wasn’t too bad. I had prepared by practicing questions that I thought might be asked. The joke was on me though as I don’t think even one of the ones I practiced was asked. One of the hardest questions was, ”why do you want to be a principal?” I found it hard to put into words. Here is my answer now that I have had an opportunity to think about it: I love working with teachers and students! I love to organize and plan. I love to be a leader, someone who helps others be the best they can be. These are the real reasons I want to be a principal. Plus I feel ready!
So this is my journey so far. Who knows how long (months or years) it will take me to find a good fit for me to be an educational leader, but I will keep trying. Thanks for reading my first post.
~Erica
