What does a principal DO all day?

In no particular order:

• Hire and supervise teachers and staff
• Provide for faith development
• Direct instruction and curriculum
• Function as a leader on the pastoral staff
• Market the school
• Direct parent groups
• Monitor student behavior
• Evaluate students and programs
• Manage a budget
• Provide leadership on a diocesan level through work with the Catholic Schools Advisory Board and the Northeast Principals' Association
• Produce weekly newsletters
• Communicate with all constituencies
• Manage enrollment
• Manage student safety, security, and the physical plant
• Locate and provide instructional resources, especially in the area of technology
• Provide effective professional development
• Report to state and diocesan officials
• Analyze, interpret, and report standardized test results
• Support extracurricular programming
• Act as negotiator, intermediary and counselor between parents, students, and teachers
• Develop and communicate a clear vision of the future to all constituencies
• Celebrate successes and milestones
• Pray!

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Thoughts on reading blogs

I often find bits of wisdom in the unlikeliest places. One of my favorite blogs is "Seth's Blog,"  which is a blog devoted to thoughts on marketing in the 21st century. His recent post, "Just because he's angry" made a great deal of sense to me. We often give an inordinate amount of power to people who are angry or loud, but Seth makes a great point. It's a corollary to my current favorite saying: "What other people think of you is none of your business."

Smart Board Training

Yesterday, 29 teachers (and yours truly) spent the day at school in the best way possible - learning! We attended a full day of professional development training on our new Smart Boards - 20 of us in the "level one" newbie class, and nine in the "level two" advanced class. I think it was the best investment of professional development dollars I've spent yet!
I think that every teacher is now confident about designing lessons and using the Smart Board to enhance student learning. Lots of great discussion at lunch about all the new things we were learning (and how great the food was, thanks Salsarita's!!)
It was exciting for me to watch the teachers' eyes light up with so many "aha" moments during the day! It's always great when the teachers can be learners themselves.