tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post2628825348777235075..comments2024-01-14T03:46:46.650-05:00Comments on Principal Kafele Writes: The Assistant Principalship: The Most Misunderstood and Underutilized Position in EducationPrincipal Kafele Writeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00206571519217782919noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-16453944533490898502020-10-23T14:28:36.229-04:002020-10-23T14:28:36.229-04:00The misuse of assistant principals is sad, but tru...The misuse of assistant principals is sad, but true. Very important read for principals, superintendents, etc. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-79644696188802106872020-01-20T07:16:34.359-05:002020-01-20T07:16:34.359-05:00I agree that the AP position is misunderstood and ...I agree that the AP position is misunderstood and poorly utilized in many cases. I think the bigger point that is neglected when we try to fix problems like this is the paradigm itself. The conveyor belt moves students on when they have weak learner skills and when they underachieve. Behavior issues that land on APs are often the result of students not having adequate learner skills and those same students feeling that the adults are dishonest. The school is run by adults and adults put students in situations for which they are not prepared. Progressive discipline is another step in the path away from student agency. The conveyor belt paradigm must change to one of mastery learning. I salute your effort to improve the AP issues, but the core problem has been with us for generations and is yet to be adequately addressed. DanHawkins11https://www.blogger.com/profile/10376456455511938599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-88675989017116489782019-07-19T18:49:53.966-04:002019-07-19T18:49:53.966-04:00Well said and thank you for posting this. Asst. pr...Well said and thank you for posting this. Asst. principals are way more valuable to the culture of the school if their skillset is maximized. After all, they were instructional leaders within the classroom prior to venturing out into administration.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-80256526054174017622019-07-19T17:16:28.188-04:002019-07-19T17:16:28.188-04:00I appreciate everything you have written in this a...I appreciate everything you have written in this article. I remember when I entered grad school one of my advisers said don't get swallowed by secretarial duties and you should continue to grown in the profession. It hard to do when you are seen as just a disciplinarian but given duties that require you to have time to spend in classrooms however if a behavior issue appears you are called to it. I definitely have taken some notes for myself to review often. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17297401677980783949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-22369010121861069882019-07-15T14:59:24.976-04:002019-07-15T14:59:24.976-04:00As an assistant principal on large campuses your d...As an assistant principal on large campuses your daily routine should involve regular classroom observations and instructional coaching, however you are often viewed as the "bouncer" for the school if the campus does not view discipline as a macro issue. I agree campus leaders should realize that the assistant principal is a direct reflection of the vision of the principal and they should be trained to be the principal at anytime. Harrison Jones IVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13511219941130095666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-10320701505852921432019-07-14T20:42:09.774-04:002019-07-14T20:42:09.774-04:00Yes, I agree that this sometimes happens within sc...Yes, I agree that this sometimes happens within schools. I have had a completely different experience being an AP. At my school, the leadership team makes decision together. We coach teachers, plan pd, weekly grade level meetings and we both handle discipline issues. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12258070086200085130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-63319542535625711982019-07-14T16:41:23.941-04:002019-07-14T16:41:23.941-04:00I am starting my first year as a principal after b...I am starting my first year as a principal after being a AP for 5. This article articulates so well the message I have been giving to the 2 AP’s that will be working with me. If I don’t make it a priority to prepare them to be principals in all manors of the position and not regulate them to just discipline then I have failed as leader.VaShawn S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16017363875693964290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-73758811957496395862019-07-07T21:51:41.355-04:002019-07-07T21:51:41.355-04:00This is great insight and definitely something I a...This is great insight and definitely something I am struggling with! Thank you for bringing it to realization that I’m not the only one!M Haidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06906923961322015559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-28987630803010028632019-07-07T15:04:50.384-04:002019-07-07T15:04:50.384-04:00With the positive changes in my District this arti...With the positive changes in my District this article is right on time! As Principal I have underutilized the role of the Assistant Principal. Thank you Principal Kafele for an interesting perspective!Byrdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02169506744430177636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-23829428804626713092019-07-06T17:10:59.974-04:002019-07-06T17:10:59.974-04:00Our school is so much stronger when the VP and I l...Our school is so much stronger when the VP and I lead together. When we are in sync, something I notice is our after school learning conversations seem to go on for a long time...and we both look at the clock realizing we need to get home to our wives and young kids. He's entering his 3rd year as VP and is going to make an excellent principal in the very near future. Great article!Bruce Mellesmoenhttp://bmellesmoen.weebly.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-86040620237638493962019-07-06T11:46:16.694-04:002019-07-06T11:46:16.694-04:00Sir, I have read your books, listened to your vlog...Sir, I have read your books, listened to your vlogs and totally put to practice all I can to aspire to AP. As an instructional coach, my administrative teams (2 schools) have used me in many ways to do duties of theirs to utilize my strengths. I am truly grateful for those experiences. However, I am very discouraged that I am good enough to do these jobs, but without getting one of these jobs. I have seen so many APs not be effective, yet hold the position for years or get promoted to Principal. It is so baffling to me why this occurs. <br />As for this article, I would love the opportunity to stop doing the jobs without having the job. Discipline needs to have a pyramid to allow strong understanding of those things teachers must complete themselves to keep their own authority! We have had to do PD just on the facts of how to handle student behaviors inside the classrooms so that the administration can focus on instruction and not discipline. It is definitely a challenge. Thank you for all your marvelous experience and guidance.AChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17931333764226155333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-17847067997554322132019-07-05T14:16:08.496-04:002019-07-05T14:16:08.496-04:00I appreciate your transparency. Make it happen nex...I appreciate your transparency. Make it happen next year!Principal Kafele Writeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00206571519217782919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-39218744377332986162019-07-05T13:37:16.494-04:002019-07-05T13:37:16.494-04:00I've just finished my first year as a principa...I've just finished my first year as a principal. I was not happy with the way our school had traditionally used the vice principal and reluctantly continued the pattern last year. This year we definitely have plans to change so that I work more in partnership with the vice principal and we focus on school climate and not just discipline. Thank you for this article.testdrivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424101482256576263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-79475953014887848922019-07-04T22:11:23.303-04:002019-07-04T22:11:23.303-04:00I appreciate all you have written. Much appreciate...I appreciate all you have written. Much appreciated and agreed.Principal Kafele Writeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00206571519217782919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-71248759848666283332019-07-04T21:58:15.875-04:002019-07-04T21:58:15.875-04:00Principal Kafele,
This is a message that needs to...Principal Kafele, <br />This is a message that needs to be screamed from the rooftops, plastered on billboards and floating on blimps! The Principal and AP should be seen, in my opinion, as a team. If the AP is the one most often "handing down" the discipline consequences, it sets up a very unhealthy climate in the school. Cafeteria duty, while important for an admin to be present, can take up to a whole school day's worth of time over the course of one week. APs can come with the same skills sets as principals and ideally those skills sets should compliment one another for a balanced approach to how school is done. Thank you for writing this. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-70310297676203682692019-07-04T17:15:18.375-04:002019-07-04T17:15:18.375-04:00Agreed. A real problem that needs to given attenti...Agreed. A real problem that needs to given attention.Principal Kafele Writeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00206571519217782919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-91891104907951386562019-07-04T16:13:57.611-04:002019-07-04T16:13:57.611-04:00This article speaks to the fact that many school s...This article speaks to the fact that many school systems are grossly ineffective in creating strong principal pipelines because they do not properly leverage the assistant principal position as a true training ground for the principalship. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15888686051395546719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-73406791364762215932019-07-04T15:43:36.085-04:002019-07-04T15:43:36.085-04:00I appreciate your words and your work.I appreciate your words and your work.Principal Kafele Writeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00206571519217782919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-70269891903682105902019-07-03T09:05:44.097-04:002019-07-03T09:05:44.097-04:00Great read. Excellent insight. I worked as a dean ...Great read. Excellent insight. I worked as a dean for many years. I soon understood my role was more than just enforcing discipline, but more of how can we change the mindsets and behaviors of our students so that they can not only feel a certain way about themselves, but also begin to have more ownership in the school they attended each and every day. I now serve as a school vendor where we offer character development and performance enrichment programs across the Chicago land as well as virtually in other states. I'm forwarding this blog to a group of leaders who love to learn and i'm sure will appreciate this as much as I did. I'd love to chat with you more about what we do and how we can help those you know that can use the added assistance. We Need More Like You! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15468383590135369404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-33381660113460350472019-07-03T07:32:15.397-04:002019-07-03T07:32:15.397-04:00Much appreciated. Thank you!Much appreciated. Thank you!Principal Kafele Writeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00206571519217782919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-77629211709068853842019-07-03T07:31:45.000-04:002019-07-03T07:31:45.000-04:00Agreed!Agreed!Principal Kafele Writeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00206571519217782919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-58472276626644278222019-07-02T12:37:59.388-04:002019-07-02T12:37:59.388-04:00Your words are so spot on to everything my fellow ...Your words are so spot on to everything my fellow APs and I talk about continually. T.Baldwinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-50645703234754330662019-07-02T12:02:31.208-04:002019-07-02T12:02:31.208-04:00Many challenges we find in our school systems toda...Many challenges we find in our school systems today are not solely student based, they are adult-centered. If the adults who lead the school can't identify and effectively operate in their "purpose" within their school community, they will be limited in their role of providing the life changing instruction that is desperately needed in the classroom.S. Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16725135209352829185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-54822782456978727212019-07-02T11:30:41.059-04:002019-07-02T11:30:41.059-04:00Indeed!Indeed!Principal Kafele Writeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00206571519217782919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138526246936426324.post-47248002428042309682019-07-02T10:04:57.364-04:002019-07-02T10:04:57.364-04:00Educational leadership requires a laser like focus...Educational leadership requires a laser like focus on the prize- driving student achievement. There must be systems in place to ensure that educational leaders are not the sole guardians of school discipline.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12569335706790392610noreply@blogger.com