Lesson: Practice What You Preach

One of my biggest problems with my former principal was that she didn't talk to people, she talked about them. I had been lured into talking about my students, their parents, and even my colleagues with her. (Not in a productive manner...just gossipy.) I think most teachers can relate to this. It seems so easy to start talking about others and then blame the behavior on needing to vent.

I really want to take the change in administration as an opportunity to change myself.

Our new principal was named last week, and it turns out he was the assistant principal at the other middle school in our district for the past few years. My immediate urge was to call everyone I know who has worked at that school and ask their opinion of the man. But I didn't act on the urge. I'm going to wait until he reports back in August and then talk to him myself.

I'm making a commitment to get off the grape vine. No more gossip. This might be the hardest thing I've done in my career. My biggest fear is that I'll have to isolate myself from the worst of the gossipers to stay out of it myself; I hate feeling isolated. I just keep telling myself how much more I'll accomplish if I'm not spending my time gossiping.

Lesson: Don't Get Too Comfortable

I've recently learned that my principal will not be returning next year and I have mixed feelings about her departure. On one hand I'm nervous; I've been working for her for 8 years and have become "fat and happy" (more like lazy and comfortable). I knew what to expect and what I could get away with. I don't think I turned in lesson plans for the majority of last year (even though it was "required").

On the other hand, though, I'm excited. I've let things slip and I'm ready to be held accountable again. I want someone to tell me when I'm slacking off...or at least to give me the look that tells me they know and are disappointed.

Most of all, I'm looking forward to a change in school culture. The outgoing principal had developed a habit of talking about people instead of talking to them. When I first started at the school, I misinterpreted her telling me what she disliked about other teachers; I thought it meant she liked what I was doing and was simply venting to me. It didn't take long for me to figure out that for every negative thing she told me about a colleague, she was saying something negative about me to someone else.

I'm now looking at the summer as a time to gear up. It's going to be like starting a whole new job in the fall, but I think I'm ready.