Thanks so much for the responses, everyone. Lynne, I do have
administrative certification and a sixth year degree in
Educational Leadership in addition to my regular teaching
certification. I will keep you all updated.

On 7/16/10, lynne/ca wrote:
> 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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