I am a new, low-level administrator at an overseas school. I am
testing for my
principal license in October and hope to have my principal
license shortly after (I
have completed all other requirements).
I've noticed that my principal, in one-on-one conversations (with
me present), will
pass blame to the Board of Directors or owner of the school if
she is confronted
with a difficult question.
For example, a teacher questioned an English only policy that
the board enacted.
This policy was made because parents complained that their
children were not
speaking enough English at school. The teacher (rightly, in my
opinion) questioned
why students couldn't speak in their own language when trying
to understand new
concepts. The principal responded with "The board made that
decision, so it's
beyond my control."
From what I've been learning and studying, the principal should
instead accept the
policy as something that he helped create so that the teacher
doesn't look at the
board as it is just some evil entity that's making policies. In
other words, the
principal should present a case against the policy to the board,
but ultimately back
it 100% if they lose their argument.
I understand that it's difficult to accept a decision as your own
when you disagree
with it, but I also think that the principal's actions can be
dangerous. Please help
me understand whether I am correct or not as I want to learn
how to be an
effective leader.
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