What makes a good day in the life of a novice principal or AP? For answers, look no farther than a video, posted recently by the Delaware Department of Education. A good day “starts off with about 500 high-fives as the kids come into the building,” says John Lynch, principal of Jennie E. Smith Elementary School in Newark, Del. “It includes a little time sitting on the carpet with the kindergartners. Some knock-knock jokes at lunch. A great science lesson. Seeing somebody smile. Seeing the ways my teachers innovate.”
View the rest for yourself in this series of reflections from some of the 75 participants in Delaware’s Induction Program for New Building Administrators:
The induction program brought together novice school leaders monthly over the 2018-2019 school year to learn about such matters as ways of working that adhere to the national Professional Standards for Education Leadership. They also shared common struggles and successes.
The program has proved so popular, according to Michael Saylor, education associate in school leadership at Delaware’s education department, that what was originally intended as a single-year program has been expanded to a second year of coaching and other activities for selected APs.
The efforts of these new school leaders and their peers throughout the state have received some high-level recognition. Watch this video shout out from a recent event celebrating their work:
