It was Friday, October 7. The sky was smokey, and the temperature warm. It was 10:50 am. Parking was limited, but some spots were available.
The office was dealing with one student in the health room, one student seated on a chair in the office, a parent seated, and one parent signing a student out.
The fire inspector was present, requesting assistance with the fire inspection. He asked for someone to accompany him throughout the building for his inspection. This was an unexpected visit, so office staff tried to find a way to accommodate this request.
After signing in on the volunteer sheet, receiving a visitor badge, and greeting the office secretary, I turned to go to the first-grade classrooms.
As I exited the office, I met the principal. She is someone I know from my time in this district. This is her second year of being a principal at this school. Before this, she was a vice principal for two years, one of those years being impacted by Covid.
As I hugged her, I could see the weariness on her face. I asked if she was doing okay. She indicated that on this day, 14 staff were out. The day prior was similar. She did not have enough staff to cover all the classes, so she was teaching classes. She had to cancel the P.E., art, and digital learning classes, and there were no 1-1 paraeducators to cover the students that needed 1-1 coverage. She also said one of her students who required a 1-1 did not have one as no one applied for that particular assignment. The counselor was out, and the school has not been assigned a nurse even though they have two diabetic students and two classrooms of students who need assistance physically.
CPS (child protective services) had called to announce that they were bringing the police to investigate a situation in a child’s home, and they would be there within the hour. They, too, need someone from the school to be present at the interview.
Lunch was happening soon. As we were preparing for lunch, one student in the classroom across the hall became dysregulated and began screaming and throwing objects. The teacher called for support, but there was no support available to come help. The other teachers came and gathered students to take to lunch while the one student was with their teacher to help them calm down. The teacher was frustrated that no one came for support, yet she did not have the entire picture that the administrator was teaching and there was no counselor that day. There were not enough staff to monitor lunch. As it was smokey outside, recess was inside. This means one paraeducator monitors four classrooms for 20 minutes of recess time. Students are in their classrooms, so the adult acts as a rover between the classrooms. The adult responsible for this was stressed. Monitoring over 80 students for 20 minutes who are in four different classrooms is not only a daunting task, but one could argue, not ideal.
All this while the principal was expected to fill out data charts and oversee PLC agendas for a discussion later that afternoon. She was also expected to be accountable for content areas, keep all people safe, and address all issues expeditiously.
I would like to say these situations are unusual, however, that is not the case. Every day, principals are asked to cover classes, rearrange specialist times, fill in for recess duty, monitor the lunchroom, address student behavior, respond to parent correspondence, and meet district expectations. Every day, the lack of trained staff to fill positions impacts our schools and ultimately our students.
The idea of leading as an instructional leader takes a back seat to the many pressing needs that interrupt this focus.
Most principals were teachers. They began this journey in the classroom teaching students and watching as students were ignited in learning. They love kids. They want all students to be successful members of society. They believe each child can learn. So why are students, staff, and schools struggling?
Principals need mentors and support as they navigate these circumstances. Many elementary principals are singletons, one administrator in a school of 500 students. They are on their own to address the many needs presented each day.
All staff desire to do their best each day. There is no more rewarding job than the privilege of working with our next generation of leaders. Funding support for our administrators, who in turn support our staff and students, is paramount to the future success of public education.
Bonnie Mckerney is a retired principal, an AWSP mentor, and currently volunteers in two different elementary schools each week.