On 7/15/10, Opinions are appreciated! wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I enjoy reading the posts on this board. I teach at the
> high school level and have been giving serious thought to
> transitioning from content area teacher to administrator.
> In my district, we have subject area directors for grades 6-
> 12 for all of the core subjects. It looks like my current
> supervisor will be getting a principalship in town, which
> will leave his current position open. This position entails
> teaching two classes per day and performing supervisory
> duties, evaluation, etc. over the remainder of the day. I
> love the idea of this position; however, my biggest fear is
> that down the road it will be eliminated from the budget.
> From what I understand, if I got the job and they did
> eventually eliminate it, my seniority as a teacher would
> kick in and my employment in the district would not be
> jeopardized. In the administrative role, though, I would no
> longer be part of the teacher's union and would be entirely
> under the administrative contract and salary schedule (the
> job is roughly the equivalent of HS assistant principal).
> Have any of you ever been in a similar situation? What did
> you do and are you happy with your choice? I was actually
> offered this job a few years ago and didn't apply at that
> time. This time I'm thinking of taking the chance, tough!

You've been given good advice by Donna and Nevada Admin. This
position sounds somewhat unique in that you will have the
opportunity to continue teaching two classes while also
taking on an admin role. I think that's a big benefit.
Like others have said, you'll have long hours, and it can be
a 'lonely' job - your relationship with coworkers will be
different even though you are still teaching. You will need
to be able to make decisions that may be unpopular, to do
what's in the best interest of students even if it means
having difficult conversations with teachers you work with,
and to keep details confidential even when revealing them
might seem to make your own life easier. But it also gives
you the opportunity to find solutions and offer support, to
work with the 'big picture' and see how the pieces fit
together to make a whole, to facilitate positive changes and
provide the resources to reach common goals - those are the
things that make it worthwhile.
Have you completed the admin certification and training
required by your state?
As far as the likelihood of the position being eliminated -
yes that's always possible, and the fact that you would be
teaching two periods while receiving an admin salary is
highly unusual and in my mind makes it more likely
that this position as it is now could become a victim of
budget cuts. My guess is that they would not eliminate the
position entirely, but might restructure it (i.e. perhaps
fewer admins rather than one per subject, more traditional
assistant principal structure with no teaching). Most likely
if that happened you'd go back to teaching, yes.
Administrators have no union so there is no 'guarantee', but
if you have seniority as a teacher you generally do keep that
seniority. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean you return to
exactly what you're doing now. If you return to full-time
teaching it could be at a different school in your district
or in a different part of your subject area (different grade
level or course level, etc) or if you're certified in more
than one subject, it could be any of your subject areas.
Weigh the pros and cons that Donna and Nevada Admin and I
have mentioned... and consider the possibilities that could
result if this position is cut (my guess: back to teaching
anything for which you're qualified at your current school,
back to teaching anything for which you're qualified at a
different school, or become full-time admin). If you are
comfortable enough with those three possibilities and the
pros and cons of the position itself, go for it! To me it
sounds like a great opportunity.

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