Call Me What You Want…I Am a Principal

I am an elementary school principal.

Call me a leader, a lead learner, boss lady, shorty…call me what you want.

I am a principal and I am proud of it.

The other day I participated in a Twitter chat and one of the questions asked me what I love about being a leader. I had a very hard time answering that question. My first instinct was, “EVERYTHING”! However, that is not exactly true. It is hard to pinpoint one thing though. Here is an incomplete list of five things I love about being a leader:

1. I love forward motion. I love working hard for the benefit of students. I love the possibility of inspiring someone to see themselves in a way they never have…to see themselves as stronger than they thought they were…as doing the best they can at the time but, with new information, wanting to do better next time.
2. I love smiles and hugs and laughter. I love supporting students and adults through the ups and downs of life. I love being really dorky and cheesy and everyone being okay with that, even appreciating it.
3. I love listening and collaborating, and the fact that together we are stronger than we are as individuals–that energy that comes from an idea sparking another idea, and another idea, until the end result is something mind-blowingly amazing.
4. I love teaching. There is nothing better than that “ah-ha” look in the eye of a student, colleague or parent. I have learned that I don’t have to talk to teach. I can be a role-model, a listener, and ask questions to teach.
5. I love learning, and I LOVE that I get to watch learning happening all day long. I love walking into a classroom and thinking, “Yes, yes, YES!” when I see deep, engaging, empowering learning happening.

This list is alive and it will grow and change as I continuously improve, but that chat question the other night left me hanging. I wanted to spend some more time thinking through what I love about being a leader…a principal…head dork, whatever you want to call me. A teacher even called me “Glinda the Good Witch” yesterday. I am a principal. I wouldn’t want to be anything else.

Principals and teachers out there, what do you love about being a leader?

Let’s collaborate on Twitter: @allysonapsey