Because the Principal is Your Pal

We were in an airport in Boston when I saw the unmistakable sign of an incoming child. “You are about to be ‘Mr. Kitchined.’ 3-2-1…” I have come to expect these encounters everywhere we go. The grocery store is probably the most dangerous. Interestingly, these students now range in age from preschool to professional, and amazingly, most are greeted by first and last name.

After working for 37 years in education, and 27 as a principal in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District, Dan Kitchin has honed the craft of school leadership into an art form. He thinks of his staff and students as extensions of our family. He shops for the morning deals at the grocery store and takes them to his staff. He accompanied me on a training trip a few years ago to Florida. On a free morning, he decided that he should find, wash, dry, pack and then distribute beautiful shells to the close to 300 students in his building. I returned from my class to a hotel room that looked like an artist’s studio.

I have learned a great deal by watching him. Some things he does you can learn in principal school, and others are authentically Mr. Kitchin.

Principal Principle: It's all about relationships.

Translation: Learn names, not only of your students, but of parents, grandparents, siblings, the dog or the llama.

These are the people and things they love the other 16 hours a day. Do you know where your students live? Do you know how they live? Do home visits. It won’t always be necessary, but if it is GO. Introduce yourself. Be open and receptive to seeing what the rest of life looks like to your students.

Accept every birthday cupcake offered, especially if the student made it him or herself--even if you “save it to eat with your coffee later.” Occasionally swing by a birthday party when you are invited.

On a more serious note, go to all the memorial services--there will be more than you can imagine: suicides, accidents at school, home, and other places, cancer and other sickness. These may be parents, grandparents, foster parents, siblings, former students, current students, lost babies, staff members, or other district employees.

Principal Principle: Be there.

Translation: You don’t really have sick days and personal days to take off.

Be visually present for students and staff to see in your building. Don’t be gone any more than absolutely necessary. Walk around. Let them see you as a normal part of the school day. Greet them by name at school and when you see them in public places.

Be early to school, and the last one to leave. You school day ends when the bus drops off the last student. Thousands of kids make it home safely in our district every day, but parents get really distressed if their child doesn’t arrive as expected.

If the bus gets stuck or breaks down, drive to meet it (safety permitting) and wait for the resolution. Kids will know things are under control when you are there.

Principal Principle: Support your teachers.

Translation: Be a student of your school.

Observe, appreciate, and tell your staff that you see they are working hard, and they are doing a great job. Be brave and proactive when you check in with your teachers. Ask, “Is there anything I can do to make your job easier?” or even, “How is it going?” Be willing to follow through with reasonable requests. Participate in portions of classes just because. Stay while they share Good Things, or Bell Work, or for a special project or demonstration. You will see what your teachers’ passions and strengths are, and get a feel for the mood of the classes.

Don’t let the teachers do all the teaching. Teach a special lesson, or get kids involved outside class. Sometimes building a greenhouse, shoveling pea gravel, or fixing the tire on a wheelbarrow is the most important thing a kid can do.

Principal Principle: Communicate and Collaborate.

Translation: Listen, Listen, Listen.

Have an open door policy where teachers they know they are welcome. Ask them when they come in if they need to vent, of if they want you to DO something. Often, they just need to be heard.

Find ways to get authentic feedback from teachers. What will work best? A survey? Department or grade level leaders? Find people who are natural information hubs, and get their input on how things are actually going. When they tell you, believe them.

When you need to get opinions from teachers about a school decision like a change of schedule or professional development, discuss openly, but vote privately. Sometimes the squeaky wheel doesn’t have the support of the majority.

Principal Principle: Discipline should be firm, fair, and consistent.

Translation: Be firm, fair and consistent.

Set the standard, and support the standard. Have clear school rules and common language. Don’t let your rules become vague guidelines. Support your staff in the implementation and then follow through when a student takes it to the next level.

Be proactive. Check in with frequent fliers daily. Go see them before they are sent to see you. Call parents before, during and after.

When a teacher sends a student out of class and to you, don’t just send them back. Trust that there is a reason that the student has identified themselves as someone who needs some extra attention. Be an advocate for students, but not a friend. Advise, coach, listen, guide; they need someone to respect.

Principal Principle: Support the Extracurriculars.

Translation: This is not a 9 to 5 gig.

Know that there will be late nights. Go to events. Show that you care about your music teacher, coaches, club sponsors, and more. Kids and teachers both feel supported when you attend events they have worked so hard for. Don’t reserve your outside time for sporting events alone. Lead assemblies. Teach your students how to behave respectfully in a large group setting. If you can (remember principle 2) go on a field trip. Think art, theater, science, adventure.

Principal Principle: You are the leader of the school.

Translation: You choose the culture.

Meet and greet everyone who comes in your door no matter who they are and why they are there. They should always feel welcome.

Treat district support people exceptionally. Know the names of your maintenance and operations people. Welcome them, thank them. Offer them water or coffee and snacks. Be available to answer questions.

Help your custodians. Pick up any trash, sweep a floor, set up a table, clean up a mess. Teach kids to value the work they do. Make sure they are a respected part of the school culture.

Support your bus drivers-know them by name, make sure they feel welcome in your school. Bus drivers are often the first and last “school people” that students see. The tone they set for students can influence a day greatly. Meet them before there is a problem that you need to help solve.

Support your nurse, and don’t let it be a solo position. Insist that your staff be first aid and CPR trained. You never know who it is going to benefit.

Take special care of your front office staff. They are your front line; the first faces visitors and parents will see, and your first responders when there are fires to be put out. Be generous with flowers, cards, donuts, coffees, and moose roast.

Principal Principle: Other Duties as Assigned

Translation: This is probably not what you signed up for.

Be heroic; start cars or brush them off when it snows, or take over outside duty when the weather is stormy.Be really heroic; fix flat tires, jump start batteries.Be amazingly heroic; go to a student’s house and jump start the car. Hey, why not drive them to school, since you are already there?Speaking of moose (and bears), be the one who goes out to shoo them off the playground.If 10 gallons of lemonade spills in the cafeteria, get out a mop.Be ready to drive to the school at any hour of the day because the alarm system is set off, the keys don’t work, or “something” has happened.If there is an accident at school, ride in the ambulance, go to the hospital, stay until the family is settledFeel free to feed your staff or provide coffee free of charge. It is a good investment.

You don’t have to do everything; you just need to make sure it all gets done. Surround yourself with good people and trust them to do their jobs well. If you are stumped, phone-a-friend. Ask your peers what works.

Expect the best every day, even though you know there will be days where you really earn your money. This job can be compared to parenting, only now you will have several hundred children and their assorted unique relatives. Kids are people, and people are messy. Remember that most problems you will solve are not actually kid created problems, but the result of messy people.

In schools there is always a do over. Kids and teachers alike appreciate new classes, new semesters, new years. For Mr. Kitchin, this year means retirement. It is a time of endings and beginnings. Though he looks forward to his new projects, he will miss his school family. He is ending the current year with an attitude of expectancy for future.

He will also continue welcome being “Mr. Kitchined.”

Rebekah Kitchin teaches English at Palmer High School