Since the public has shifted its gaze towards education reform in recent years, much of the discourse has been centered around ineffective teachers and failing schools. Recent discussions and grant money have focused on trying to make teachers more effective, firing teachers who are ineffective and holding teachers accountable for student growth.
With all this talk about teachers, there is distinctly less public dialogue about the status of principals in urban districts. The Washington Post brought one principal into the spotlight in an article on June 25 – because he quit. Bill Kerlina, a young principal who quit this summer after 17 years in education, opened up to the paper about why he chose to leave.
The article tries to describe what made Kerlina’s term as principal so difficult, and Kerlina himself “is quick to acknowledge that he was far from the perfect principal and that his grievances may strike some as whiny or carping”.
I believe that had I read Bill Kerlina’s story this time last year, I would have been unsympathetic and given him the “whiner” label he hoped to avoid. However having spent a year as a teacher in Baltimore City, I understand how his nuanced frustrations became a climate he couldn’t stand anymore. Responsibilities to parents, teachers, staff, students, district representatives, budgetary concerns and other variables simply burned Kerlina out.
His story concerns me because school systems aren’t just exhausting teachers, but clearly principals as well. Working towards school reform doesn’t appear to be growing less demanding, and smart people with good intentions are being spread too thin to keep at it. With budgets shrinking and pressure to succeed rising, I wonder how we can ease a demanding workload for dedicated administrators and teachers that is seemingly on the rise.
1 comment:
Candace,
You are right. One year ago, I would have been unsympathetic as well. However, after witnessing the amount of pressures on teachers and principals, I can understand what he's saying and why he's leaving. I feel bad saying that. I feel bad sympathizing with educators who quite because they are burnt out, overworked, and underpaid, but I can't help it.
At my school this past year, other teachers and myself frequently found ourselves (like all teachers) complaining about some ridiculous task our principal asked us to do. Upon further consideration, though, we realized that someone above her asked her to do the ridiculous task, and someone above that person told them to do the ridiculous task. We, in turn, as teachers, are forced to ask our kids to do something ridiculous (i.e., focus only on state assessments).
This top-down pressure happens every day, and I don't know who to blame, how to fix it, or why it is so prevalent. I just know its overwhelming not only for the teacher, but for the principal as well.
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