90s05 Revolving Door

Mediapolis had a revolving door at the elementary principal position. It was a big job serving over 600 kids in two buildings ten miles apart. There were lots of duties that came along with the job. The principal had told me all year long he was going to leave and he did. I wasn’t surprised and he was openly hostile towards the superintendent. He had very rigid ideas about how things should be done and he undermined the administration in not so subtle ways.

In my May 7, 1990 journal entry I reflect on my decision to leave teaching and become an administrator. I wrote that I really missed teaching but believed I had done the right thing. I also wrote that I had applied for a Director of Instruction position in Mt. Pleasant and I knew the elementary principal position at Mediapolis was going to be open. The superintendent had told me I could have that position if I wanted it.

I was interested in the job but was unsure about it because I had just completed the first year of the Curriculum Coordinator position and had a lot of things I thought needed to be done. The superintendent came to me again and said he just wanted to give me the job and not have to go through advertising and interviews.

It is always difficult in a situation like this. Do I hold out for the Mt. Pleasant job, take the elementary principal position, or just stay where I am?

On May 10th I wrote: “I’m really troubled about a decision have to make. I have to decide by Monday if I want to take the elementary principal position in Mediapolis. At this time I just don’t know what to do…sometimes I think I would be crazy not to take it. A lot of administrators would like to be principal of a 600 student building (it was really two buildings). That is larger than any in Mt. Pleasant. Deep in my heart I don’t want to leave Mt. Pleasant. I don’t know why or what is holding me there. I’ve always secretly wondered if I ever would. If I take the principal position I definitely would have to move to the area in a year or so. Maybe that would be best…”

The more I thought about the principal job the more interested I was. On May 15th I told the superintendent I would accept the position and he said he would make the recommendation to the board. They thought the position should be opened and then I could apply for it like everyone else. He was mad and I little disappointed. Actually, I was offended! The board had, in a vote of 2-3, said to avoid public criticism it would be best to open the job up and then they told the superintendent to encourage me to apply.

About the same time the principal was telling staff and the public he had been forced out. I knew that wasn’t true and besides when I first came into the district that principal had told me he planned to leave in a year. Nevertheless, criticism was widespread.

The board routinely went against the superintendent’s recommendations and I could see hostility building. I wasn’t comfortable with some of the things they did and their ethics.

I didn’t even get an interview for the Mt. Pleasant position. I probably shouldn’t even have applied but in the back of my mind I had hoped I could return to Mt. Pleasant.

Ultimately, I didn’t apply for the Mediapolis principal position (not this year anyway). I decided it was best to stick where I was at least one more year. I wanted to finish up my dissertation and thought it would be easier in that position than as a principal.