October is “National Principals Month.”  It probably always has been, but I never noticed. As I was scrolling through Twitter the other day, for some reason, I finally took notice. There was a short article about the role of a principal and the types of impact they can have on a school. I tend to have reflective moments out of the blue, not always spurred upon by a powerful moment or event. This was one of those times. It wasn’t hard to do, but it was really fun. It made me think, ponder, question, smile, and laugh. 

I love to promote the profession of education. I’m pretty open about sharing my thoughts and feelings as it relates to the work that takes place in our schools on a daily basis. I wanted to share what I ended up writing down about what it means to me to be a principal. I hope fellow principals can take a moment to reflect and write, teachers will take a moment to read and see if I’m hitting my mark, and parents will know more about my beliefs.

• Being a principal means I get to be a leader. I love to LEAD. I love to shape, craft, and mold a team full of different individuals towards a common purpose.
• Being a principal means I get to impact students, hundreds, and thousands of students.  That is the ultimate motivator…impact the lives of kids. 
• Being a principal means I will work to remove the barriers that teachers encounter so they can do what do best, which is teach.
• Being a principal means I get to develop relationships with families in the community where I work and live.

That leads me to a couple goals. Simple to write, but remarkably hard to attain. I’ve never shared these with anyone before.  If I’m doing these two things, I’m extending a positive impact on as many lives as possible.

1. I want to impact as many lives as I can during my time as a principal.

2. I want teachers who have worked with me to list me as the best principal they’ve ever worked with. Why should teachers settle for any less? #ChaseIt

That’s what being a principal means to me.  Basically, everything.