General studies principal

amother

OP ↓

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 8:41 pm

The administrator of an up and coming NY based high school reached out to me, inquiring if I am interested in this position for next year. We have a meeting scheduled for after chagim. I am a bundle of nerves. Help me out ladies please with my “Ted talk”. I want to present myself as polished and professional, not over eager, yet with a passion as an educator. From what I understand, this interview is a prerequisite to determine mutually if this is something I am interested in taking on as well as if they feel I am the person for this position. What do I wear? I am in my early forties if that makes a difference. My head is all over the place in case anyone’s wondering. Help!!!!
This is new to me (though I am in the teaching field for over two decades)

paperflowers

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 9:03 pm

The best mindset to go into an interview with is not feeling pressured that you must get this job. You don't. Someone outreached you because they thought you would be a good fit, so you can go into this meeting feeling confident because they already have a good impression of you. You are on equal footing with the interviewer here.
From what it sounds like, you weren't looking for this job and could have continued teaching. But this call sounds intriguing, so enter the meeting with a sense of curiosity. What do you want to know about the position, about the school? What would it take for you to leave your current teaching position? You can ask a lot of questions.
As far as what to prepare about yourself, think about what leadership roles you have had. Have you mentored newer teachers? Have you been involved in curriculum development or implementation? Do you have particular expertise in some kind of educational philosophy or classroom management strategies? Is there a training you loved, or one you are looking forward to? Whatever your thing is, be prepared to talk about both the theoretical background if applicable and practical application, have examples.
I would wear a blazer.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 9:28 pm

paperflowers wrote:

Amazing points! Thanks for taking the time to answer. Definitely a great springboard for me.

amother

Dimgray ↓

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 9:31 pm

Find out if the role is figurehead or if you have actual leeway and authority to make changes. I thought I was being hired to be principal but really they wanted someone to smile to the parents and enforce the uniform code. There was already a curriculum director, an activity director etc and I held no actual power.

As general studies you also will likely be the touch point for services, colleges, grants etc.

Principal has nothing to do with being a good teacher. Don't mistake the two. Just like being camp director isn't the same as being the most amazing counselor.

amother

Aqua ↓

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 9:37 pm

I would do some research into the school. Read their mission statement. Talk to families of current students without revealing your purpose. Read bios of main leadership. See if they have written scholarly articles and read or skim them. Research board and main donors. Familiarize yourself with their website and see if you can obtain and read their curriculum. Google to see if there are postings on glass door. Prepare to speak about your vision for educating students. Talk about issues facing students: OTD, substance use, effects of Covid on mental health and focus. Talk about creative ways to motivate and engage students. Talk about your strengths as an educator and how to motivate and encourage faculty. How to be a mentor. Physically lean in to the conversation. Keep eye contact and good posture. Prepare some thoughtful questions. I definitely agree that at least a blazer and possibly a suit are in order. Good luck.

amother

↑ Dimgray ↓

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 10:23 pm

amother OP wrote:

Teaching bag/ tote as part of my attire ?

If you want

But seriously I would worry less about how you look and focus on interviewing THEM. It's an "up and coming school" wonderful. Is there a clearly defined job role? Will you have adequate support staff? Will you be given inappropriate responsibilities?

Don't be so flattered. Ask yourself critically why a school is taking a teacher, as wonderful as I'm sure you are, but you have (presumably- idk) zero actual experience in administrative capacity and being a leader not just a classroom teacher.

(As someone who was also solicited and interviewed for 2 principal roles - having relevant experience.)

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 10:57 pm

amother Dimgray wrote:

I hear you. I do have leadership experience in that I have successfully executed quite a few corporate events. I don’t think it’s relevant though to this role. I like your idea about interviewing them. Carefully

amother

↑ Aqua

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 11:04 pm

I agree that you should keep your eyes open and be realistic about the offer, but I wouldn’t be dismissive of the intent and your capabilities. It’s possible that you caught their eye. In fact, I think it’s a perfectly acceptable question to ask. Why are you interested in me for this position? And listen closely to the response. The previous poster may have had a negative experience but yes, there are often power dynamics in a school setting (I’ve been on the inside of them having worked in a prominent hs for a number of years.) It can also be a difficult position having to work effectively with students, parents, and teachers. Wishing you good luck with the process and clarity on whether this is right for you.

amother

Opal

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 11:07 pm

Just want to make a comment.
Our school is flailing in several areas.
It was looking for candidates for various leadership (principal etc) roles.
An excellent candidate called around and did his/her research about the various depts because they had a few children who would need to transfer to the school. They heard about the school issues and while the candidate could handle their dept, their children would be entering weak depts. It wasn't good for them as a family.

BTW this isn't your school, OP, based on several details.

Amelia Bedelia

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 11:35 pm

amother OP wrote:

I think it is relevant and you should definitely mention it

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Oct 05 2024, 11:49 pm

amother Dimgray wrote:

I'm cynical for sure but op is also being naive in her excitement. You don't need a blazer or a suit (unless you own that already) just dress smart. You need to be well prepared.

Your amother color Wink

oohlala ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 9:00 pm

I have an advanced degree in educational leadership. But I am not a principal. My advice to you is to ask about the job description. What daily, weekly, monthly, yearly tasks would be your responsibility? Who do you report to? Who reports to you? Ask follow up questions to get as much clarity as possible. If the job description is up in the air, fuzzy or confusing to you, I’d advise you to run the other way. Same if the job sounds like it’s more than one person can do.