You and Your Principal - Achieving the "Perfect Pairing"
I am sitting in Charlotte Douglas Airport, (couldn’t grab a rocking chair in the sun however,) on my layover home from Houston and the National Elementary Principals Conference. A good first leg of the flight allowed me reflective time on all I gleaned in talking about Broadway Jr. with principals from around the country and actually around the world. It is easy to summarize: they want everything they can get for the kids in their schools. They want safety, challenges, connections with all staff and community, memories to grow with and FUN. No matter what budget times we are in, it doesn’t matter to them. I met principals that directed their own school shows, I met principals that said this was the most culminating activity in their school, I met principals that said how come we have never done this before - it is cheaper than standardized test forms!
Musical theatre directors are generous people…we seek out, borrow, “steal” if you will, any new technique that looks like it can improve the way we excite kids about our art. So we have all gathered new rehearsal techniques, new choreography ideas, set and costume finds, theater games and heaven knows countless statistics on all the positive things arts education can do to improve test scores, self esteem and school attendance.
Probably one of the most valuable assets that help students is sustaining the relationship between teachers and administration – a true PAIRING. That working partnership can affect overall school climates - and your program - like nothing else!
• Clearly, cohesive programs in communities (rich or poor) have the most effective administrators and superintendents. Any one who takes the invisible things they do for granted, should open their eyes. These folks treasure the role that arts play in their schools; they allocate resources and attention to support strong, comprehensive programs, and can speak articulately about music’s value. They are the silent buffer that may be the reason you as a teacher are here today. I look at administration and music educators as a “fine pairing”.
• No one in the district works harder
• Both are responsible for casts of thousands
• Both have intimate contact with communities, parents, students and ALL staff.
• Maybe you both never set out as politicians, but by now you could be an advisor to one.
• Both of you inspire all with experiences that will last a lifetime.
• Both of you are selfless with personal time and money to make the world a better place.
I worked under 19 different principals in my career. The last one I had the amazing good fortune to work with could in-service every principal in the country at what is best for creating a school environment to help kids become bright, creative, safe and happy. He knows that if you have their “heart” you have their “head”. He is a handsome, 6’ 3” man, but probably never looked better than when he wore a Shere-Kahn costume in “Jungle Book Kids” in front of several thousand people at a Junior Theater Festival. He hasn’t stopped donning costumes and fighting for kids to take part in the arts.
Share what you do with kids with your administration, they will welcome the pleasant “breather” at your rehearsal from the myriad of challenges they have every day. They want their school to have achieved a common goal for all kids and be proud of it. They can be your best advocates…but you need to send the invitation!
CR
