“What is happening?!” That is exactly what I was asking my first couple of weeks as a new assistant principal.
The start of this new position has been nothing short of trying to drink water from a fire hose. There is not enough time in the day to adequately prepare yourself for the role in its entirety, especially when starting in a new district. I spent the first couple of weeks tackling the checklist of trainings and learning different software programs, while also designing the beginning of the year professional learning and preparing the building for staff and students.
Those are just a few of the things I was doing, and my head was spinning.
However, I found that making to-do lists and updating my calendar were incredibly beneficial to my success.
First, anytime I found myself needing to do something, I made a note in the reminders app on my phone. This was extremely helpful since five hundred things were flying around at once, and I knew I was bound to forget something. Following through on things that people ask you questions about is the easiest way to build credibility and trust. By doing this, I have been able to follow up on all requests and questions that have come my way.
Second, I put EVERYTHING in my calendar. Of course, the big things like team meetings are scheduled in my calendar, but I am also scheduling simple things such as reminders to call people or to write birthday cards. This has helped me to stay on top of things, but it has also ensured that I am not overloading my days. By doing this, I am able to evenly spread out my workload, prioritizing my time while simultaneously completing tasks.
So far, by implementing these two things into my day, I have found myself enjoying the job and not stressing out about all the things coming my way. I urge you to try at least one of these items to help you out!
Until next time, new school leaders!
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