Teaching Never Ends When Assistant Principal’ing Begins

        Readers may recall from a few months ago that I was developing a theory on #2’s in organizations. At the time, it was a two-dimensional opportunity for Assistant Principal to teach, and to teach every day, all the time. Now I’m not sure whether this is an emergent theory, or rather a framework or paradigm, I’m getting more excited about it all the time. And, it’s now three dimensional. 

        Just this week, I had the opportunity to air a national Assistant Principal podcast with Dr. Frederick Buskey of Strategic Leadership Consulting. It’s available at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/appodcast.html. In it, we discussed my conceptual model’s development at length, and I’m including it here with visual complement, so as to further and strengthen our conversation with Assistant Principals in the field. 

        I think my theoretical depiction holds true for #2’s in all sectors and industries, including Chief Operating Officers to their Chief Executive Officer, or a Chief of Staff or Vice President to a President, or a Associate Dean to a Dean . . . or particularly Assistant/Vice Principals to Principals. Will you let me know? 

        Here's it, visually. 

        I’ll now describe. 

        Number 2’s in all organizations, in particular Assistant Principals, teach UP, DOWN, and AROUND all the time. Again, teaching never ends when Assistant Principal’ing begins. 

        When Assistant Principals teach UP, they serve as confidants. In such, they serve, providing quiet and thoughtful feedback that is not shared outside of a private office for their leader’s consideration, use, or decision not to use. They also safeguard, offering wise counsel on the potential results of leadership decisions, or deflecting the criticism from their leaders. Finally, they supplement, allowing for their own skillsets and talents to complement and/or offset those of their leaders, so that they are an extension of their leader’s strengths and leadership effectiveness. 

        While Assistant Principals teach DOWN, they serve as caretakers. With such, they prescribe what is good for the persons who entrust them with their care. They protect those who need such, even if at times . . . it is from themselves. And they problem-solve, helping others go from where they are to a better place of life and living. 

        As Assistant Principals teach AROUND, they serve as collaborators. In such, they manage colleagues to help you move the organization’s mission to their leader’s vision. They also motivate others to accomplish things that they might think are unreachable. Finally, they model the way to show that all things are possible, and that they are willing to do what they ask of others, as well. I’d be interested to see if this resonates with current Assistant Principals. Initial conference and training reactions have been particularly powerful with this notion. 

        In my book, All Other Duties As Assigned: The Assistant Principal’s Critical Role in Supporting Schools Inside and Out, I say “Taking time for teaching is important because it inspires students. The school experience, no matter its quality, starts students on a pathway to their dreams” (p. 158). I believe this inspirational obligation as well applies to Assistant Principals interacting with ALL in our school setting—to those with whom they teach up, down, and around. 

        Yes, students have dreams, and we are here to teach and encourage them how to embrace and pursue. Adults have dreams. Our principals, for instance, are moving school mission toward vision: professional dreams, one might say. Principals have personal dreams as well. Friends and colleagues as teachers and staff are pursuing their own paths toward self-actualization, which is what dreams can be made upon. This obligation to teach, is really an opportunity to pursue our dreams as well, if we allow. 

        Thanks to all Assistant Principals who serve as some of our nation’s best teachers, and to #2’s everywhere —with life as their curriculum and daily difference-making as their lesson plans. Know that you make positive contributions in all directions.

An Adjacent Space

Recently pondering the notion of an Assistant Principal’s blind spot, I happened across an assets-based discovery – An Adjacent Space. 

Here’s how it occurred. 

I was on my morning walk the day Dr. Frederick Buskey of Strategic Leadership Consulting was to interview me for a taping of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Will be out in late January/early February, and I’m excited about it! What a great opportunity and true visionary for Assistant Principals in Frederick. 

When I was readying a few examples for conversation from All Other Duties As Assigned: The Assistant Principal’s Critical Role in Supporting Schools Inside and Out, I realized that the choice of details pertained more to what was in my Assistant Principal’s head space, than from any other perspective. Makes sense, I guess. 

For instance, when conceiving for the podcast of staff members who were exceptionally good in empowering to save and adopt (p. 109), or in noting the need to play catch each morning (p. 83), or the importance of developing nuanced observation (p. 44), my mind would invariably focus on students who need a bit more time and intervention. 

Those were examples I pondered sharing with Frederick. Then, more ruminating as I walked. I wondered if this was how I rolled-life as an Assistant Principal, now professor and author—thinking predominantly about those more in-need of intervention, rather than those more in-tune with agency. 

Perhaps is this is why Assistant Principals are sometimes on different and unique pages than others during the school day—our foreground is disproportionately weighted toward problem solving for those who find such difficult?? Do we default naturally into inspecting, detecting, and resolving, rather than pausing, observing, and celebrating? 

Often, it seems archetype behaviors advertise a world view borne of daily gig. I wonder how often those with whom we work might wish for a different way we pay attention. 

Let’s consider how often we think intentionally about kids who love to be in class, about those who learn for the sake of learning, or about those whom we really don’t know, because they’re quiet. What about our teachers who never send students to the office or choose not to champion anyone? They’re contributing at a distance from our foreground yet probably would do well with more of our affirmations or noticing. 

Do we provide? Possibly. 

It is with these musings I thought of blind spots . . . yet then almost immediately, imagined something else with potential. After all, a blind spot seems something we need to fix; something we hope to avoid, or at least minimize over time. In short, it’s deficit thinking, really. 

What if we considered the space outside of our immediate awareness more positively with potential to leverage rather than to minimize or eradicate. What if we instead conceived of An Adjacent Space—one that offered us another way to engage in the conversations we have, to select anew what we notice and allow into our head and heart. 

An asset. 

 I love the comedy improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and remember the game played by comedians called “The Three-headed Broadway Star,” in which three incredibly gifted presenters locked arms and helped each other compose lyrics to a song extemporaneously—doing so as one three-headed singer. 

What if Assistant Principals had three heads, one literal and two figurative, sitting adjacent through which to view situations and help generate choices during conversation? It might triple our acuity. 

Taking this further, what if we thought of every situation with the potential to view multiple ways—from vantage points of diverse experiences or from others not preoccupied with our daily drumbeat? 

Imagine the next time in conversation if one of our figurative heads in An Adjacent Space whispered in our ear, “Hey, this person might need you to notice or conceive of things differently.” 

 “What about this?” 

“Did you notice?” 

“You might want to . . .” 

“They may need to hear you say . . .” 

We all have the potential to reframe how An Adjacent Space can help reset—broadening and deepening the relationships we have with others and ourselves? What could this look like? 

Well, it could be using more intentionality in what we notice during “class calls” (p. 26) sending complimentary notes for teachable moments seen; it could be spending more time debriefing with parents whose students are in “the fringe” (p. 102) of disciplinary situations; or listening with more interest to teachers who are “comfortable” and part of the status quo (p. 181), to be wiser in the questions we’re asking. 

Do we have blind spots as Assistant Principals? For sure. Yet can we turn a dial on deficit thinking and conceive of our periphery as an asset—An Adjacent Space with the potential for access, development, and potency? 

 Multi-directionally.