My principal tries very hard to be a "scruffie". She is able to balance theory and practice and always reassures us "we're going to be ok" when it comes to test scores. If she finds an article that is worthwhile, she will make copies for us and we will discuss it in a faculty meeting. For the most part, she depends on her experience and asks us to do the same. The most important thing she does is allow us to teach. She doesn't question what we do in the classroom and is confident in our abilities. As a result, we are more relaxed and better teachers because we can concentrate on our lessons instead of "teaching to the test".
I think she is a "Neat" for the most part. She is a very strict rule follower. It upsets her if she thinks we may get "caught" going against a policy. She does leave us alone in the classroom most of the time..."as long as she is sure we are doing what we should" She likes organization and does not stray from policies. It is funny sometimes how she is so worried. Like when we want to leave on Friday with buses and not stay the extra 30 minutes. She gets flustered and says things like be careful and don't get in a wreck since you are supposed to be here, etc. I would say definitely a Neat.
I would describe my administrator as a combination of both a "Neat" and a "Scruffie". He was under a prinicipal who was a model Neat, but his personality is very much a Scruffie. This manifests itself in the many "Neat" quotes we receive from him that were quotations used by his mentor and our last administrator. At the same time, he gives teachers leeway to teach class in their own unique style, and is not so concerned about following strict, theory or scientific based approaches. because of this, I see both attributes @ different times.
I think my principal tries his best to be a "Scruffie"! He does a good job of following school board policies but also knows when rules might need to be bent a little based on special circumstances. He often enourages us to anaylze and discuss effective research-based strategies during our faculty meetings, but at the same time, he allows us to be unique and creative in our planning and teaching. He is very supportive and flexible, but like Jane, he has learned that some things need to be handled in a specific way...by the book...while others do not.
When thinking how my administrator behaves in an educational surrounding, I would have to say on the most part, she is a "NEAT." Mainly because she is pretty strict when it comes to following the policies very carefully. She seems to not want to ruffle any feathers. However, after a few observations, she also leaves teachers alone if she knows they are performing well for the students. But I do have to admit, she is a bit lenient with some and more strict with others. However, sometimes when you have an administrator that follows policies strictly, you know where you stand and what are the expectations.
My administrator deals with the guidelines by helping teachers meet their goals. He is not a pure numbers guy, but he does think they are important. He is not strict about test scores, but will do whatever he can to help teachers help students do well on tests. He is definately not a "Neat" He allows teachers to work in ways they feel are the best. He is there to help, but rarely forces us to do something a certain way.
My principal is a "scruffie". He has several years or experience and will tell you he is only a few years away from retirement. I think this contributes greatly to his "scruffie" attitude. While he does follow all district policies, I don't think I have ever seen him very stressed about meeting deadlines. He has surrounded himself with an excellent support staff and gives them room to do their job. Overall,he is a very positive person.
To be an effective "scruffie", a principal must have confidence in their experience and judgement. This means that when someone questions their decisions that are in gray or paradoxical areas of mandated guidelines, they can back up their decision and always explain why it was in the interest of the student or the school community. This both requires trust and builds trust for the administrator. I view my principal as a "scruffie" who emphasizes the important issues and makes the unimportant items non-issues. Richard Moon
If I have to choose between the two, I would say my principal leans towards being a "neat". He stays very current on research and data, and uses this information to drive most of our new initiatives, such as block scheduling, being a HSTW site, etc. He often quotes numbers and statistics to explain why we either should or should not do a specific thing. He isn't completely locked into this mindscape, however. I don't think he is afraid of "not following the rules". Nor is he afraid to "think outside the box" to use a common cliche. He recognizes that what works for one school may not work for another, no matter what the data suggests. So as I stated in the beginning, he probably leans towards being a "neat", but is able to recognize "scruffie" situations.
My adminstrator is a scruffie, he deals with the guidlines laid down by any means necessary. He imparts upon the faculty the williness to be felxible. He allows as few changes as possible to impact our classroom and has an open policy for dealing with issues, personal or professional. His willingness to do what it takes for students and faculty is a big motivator for us
The principal at the school that I work at best fits under the category of Scruffies. He never assumes that the norm is the best answer for every situation. He takes into account individual situations and personalities. The principal decides on a course of action in any situation so that it benefits the school culture and the decision is a product of experience. He does does take into consideration the mandated guidelines, but he use them as a guide not as a controlling factor. Alana Sexton
12 comments:
Is your current administrator a “Neat” or a “Scruffie?” How does s/he deal with the strict mandated guidelines?
My principal tries very hard to be a "scruffie". She is able to balance theory and practice and always reassures us "we're going to be ok" when it comes to test scores. If she finds an article that is worthwhile, she will make copies for us and we will discuss it in a faculty meeting. For the most part, she depends on her experience and asks us to do the same. The most important thing she does is allow us to teach. She doesn't question what we do in the classroom and is confident in our abilities. As a result, we are more relaxed and better teachers because we can concentrate on our lessons instead of "teaching to the test".
I think she is a "Neat" for the most part. She is a very strict rule follower. It upsets her if she thinks we may get "caught" going against a policy. She does leave us alone in the classroom most of the time..."as long as she is sure we are doing what we should" She likes organization and does not stray from policies. It is funny sometimes how she is so worried. Like when we want to leave on Friday with buses and not stay the extra 30 minutes. She gets flustered and says things like be careful and don't get in a wreck since you are supposed to be here, etc. I would say definitely a Neat.
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I would describe my administrator as a combination of both a "Neat" and a "Scruffie". He was under a prinicipal who was a model Neat, but his personality is very much a Scruffie. This manifests itself in the many "Neat" quotes we receive from him that were quotations used by his mentor and our last administrator. At the same time, he gives teachers leeway to teach class in their own unique style, and is not so concerned about following strict, theory or scientific based approaches. because of this, I see both attributes @ different times.
I think my principal tries his best to be a "Scruffie"! He does a good job of following school board policies but also knows when rules might need to be bent a little based on special circumstances. He often enourages us to anaylze and discuss effective research-based strategies during our faculty meetings, but at the same time, he allows us to be unique and creative in our planning and teaching. He is very supportive and flexible, but like Jane, he has learned that some things need to be handled in a specific way...by the book...while others do not.
When thinking how my administrator behaves in an educational surrounding, I would have to say on the most part, she is a "NEAT."
Mainly because she is pretty strict when it comes to following the policies very carefully. She seems to not want to ruffle any feathers. However, after a few observations, she also leaves teachers alone if she knows they are performing well for the students. But I do have to admit, she is a bit lenient with some and more strict with others. However, sometimes when you have an administrator that follows policies strictly, you know where you stand and what are the expectations.
My administrator deals with the guidelines by helping teachers meet their goals. He is not a pure numbers guy, but he does think they are important. He is not strict about test scores, but will do whatever he can to help teachers help students do well on tests. He is definately not a "Neat" He allows teachers to work in ways they feel are the best. He is there to help, but rarely forces us to do something a certain way.
My principal is a "scruffie". He has several years or experience and will tell you he is only a few years away from retirement. I think this contributes greatly to his "scruffie" attitude. While he does follow all district policies, I don't think I have ever seen him very stressed about meeting deadlines. He has surrounded himself with an excellent support staff and gives them room to do their job. Overall,he is a very positive person.
To be an effective "scruffie", a principal must have confidence in their experience and judgement. This means that when someone questions their decisions that are in gray or paradoxical areas of mandated guidelines, they can back up their decision and always explain why it was in the interest of the student or the school community. This both requires trust and builds trust for the administrator.
I view my principal as a "scruffie" who emphasizes the important issues and makes the unimportant items non-issues.
Richard Moon
If I have to choose between the two, I would say my principal leans towards being a "neat". He stays very current on research and data, and uses this information to drive most of our new initiatives, such as block scheduling, being a HSTW site, etc. He often quotes numbers and statistics to explain why we either should or should not do a specific thing. He isn't completely locked into this mindscape, however. I don't think he is afraid of "not following the rules". Nor is he afraid to "think outside the box" to use a common cliche. He recognizes that what works for one school may not work for another, no matter what the data suggests. So as I stated in the beginning, he probably leans towards being a "neat", but is able to recognize "scruffie" situations.
My adminstrator is a scruffie, he deals with the guidlines laid down by any means necessary. He imparts upon the faculty the williness to be felxible. He allows as few changes as possible to impact our classroom and has an open policy for dealing with issues, personal or professional. His willingness to do what it takes for students and faculty is a big motivator for us
The principal at the school that I work at best fits under the category of Scruffies. He never assumes that the norm is the best answer for every situation. He takes into account individual situations and personalities. The principal decides on a course of action in any situation so that it benefits the school culture and the decision is a product of experience. He does does take into consideration the mandated guidelines, but he use them as a guide not as a controlling factor.
Alana Sexton
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