Tuesday Musing Open Thread 3: Qualifications for hiring administrators
For your consideration, and as an extension of last week's question: If you were given the chance to revamp the hiring process in your school, what would be the top qualifications you would look for in administrators being hired to fill open positions? How do these compare with the qualifications that are currently in use by your school district?
Labels: open thread, tuesday musing
posted by "Ms. Cornelius" @ 6:00 AM
6 Comments:
SUBSTANTIAL classroom experience. In my district, we have many administrators who have put in the minimum 3 years in a classroom. I'm in my 6th year of teaching and just now feel like I've got a handle on classroom management. Also, they should be strongly vetted on their classroom management skills - if they were mediocre teachers because they had their eyes on the goal of administration, shouldn't they have to polish those skills that they are going to be assessing other teachers on?
This is a bit off topic... but, I would like to see a requirement included with the administration job expectations:
Administrator's must return to the classroom every fifth year (4 years in admin + 1 year in the classroom = rotation). This would keep administrator's "in-touch" with current expectations, requirements, and allow for continued classroom experience.
Just a thought...
Yes, yes, and yes on the other two comments...lots of recent time in the classroom and regular rotations back into the classroom. Things are changing so much that it doesn't take long for an administrator to "go over to the Dark Side" and forget what we're dealing with. I would also look for mentally and emotionally stable people who don't think they're all that and a bag of chips. They should be open to ideas and capable of creating a truly collaborative environment for teachers and students alike. They should remember that students are children, not test scores. Oh, I could go on and on...
Neoptism, willingness to sleep with whomever necessary, lack of reservations, moral bankruptcy...
Actually I'd look for someone with experience in the classroom, someone who was a good teacher and who might therefore be able to encourage and foster good teachers. Anyone who can't teach, anyone looking to "get out of the classroom," has already reached a level of incompetence and ought not to merit a promotion.
I'm too tired to coherently comment, but I just thought I'd mention that at the charter school I'm at, our admins all teach for at least 4 hours per week. It makes things crazy for them, but it also keeps them grounded in the curriculum and student issues and what they're asking their teachers to do.
It's really great, and I'm glad the district makes that commitment with their admins.
Tom, you and I are on the same wave length-- this idea was one of my first posts-- but perhaps they should also live on a first year teacher's salary as well. That would wake them up to the cost/benefit ratio really quickly!
Post a Comment
<< Home