So since the last time that I blogged it would seem that I did, in fact, get hired to be an administrator. In July I was hired as the Assistant Principal of an elementary school about 25 minutes from my house. When I arrived the first day the sign (above) was waiting by my office door. The school has about 500 students which is more than double the students my last school had. My first month of school as an assistant principal was fine as it was summer and I had time to get acclimated to what my job was. Actually, I think that's kind of funny as I realize now that I wasn't getting acclimated as that didn't happen until the students started to arrive in late August. I guess I was just getting used to my office, the building and the documents I may need to access. The picture below is of the flowers my husband and son sent me the first day of school.
Once the students arrived I was focused on building rapport with students and staff. I was a new face and I wanted people to know who I was. I tried to greet people at the door, visit classrooms, and generally be visible to people. Sadly, after about two weeks this faded off as the realities of the job had taken over and took away much of the time I had for these things. To say I felt way over my head in September and October was an understatement. There were many moments where I thought, "what did I get myself into," or "maybe I wasn't meant to be a school leader." I felt like perhaps I had made the wrong choice and should have just stayed in the classroom. This was not because I didn't like the job (well, to be honest, it wasn't very likable at times), but more because I thought I didn't have the skills needed to do it well. I tend to think I have to be perfect at everything from the start. Not a great frame of mind when starting something new. The good news is that my principal and all of the staff are very supportive and understanding of my newness. This is likely what got me through those first few months.
At the end of October, I was able to attend the state Assistant Principal's Conference which was both great and a little disheartening at the same time. I learned a lot and got to meet some great people. I also learned about the differences in my role and those of other schools. People thought it was hilarious that I am the sub caller for my school. I learned that Central Maine and Southern Maine are very different in their requirements for Assistant Principals. In the end, it was a good learning experience for me. When I arrived back at school after being away at the conference for two days the paper below was sitting on my desk. I guess they like me.
The last two months have gotten a little easier as I have learned more about my role. As with any job, there are things that I like and do not like about this role. The biggest thing that I have learned is that I love being a school leader and love helping teachers and students. Now I need to figure out how I can do the parts that I love the most when lots of other things take up so much time. It's certainly a work in progress as am I, but I feel better about things now than I did in October. I have so much to learn and figure out but am very thankful that I got this opportunity to start my school leadership journey this year.
This is the wall cling that my RES family gave to me when I left to start at my new school. Love my RES family.
Don't forget to be AWESOME!!
~Erica
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