Hi, all, I am currently a first-year English teacher and, although I love what I do, I have always had a strong interest in becoming an administrator, particularly an assistant principal. Most people I speak with are in support of this, but others think it is the "wrong move" because I would be "crossing over to the other side" or because I am "too young." Of course, I plan to teach for a while because I know this is an important component in becoming an effective admin.; without any experience, admin. typically do not understand what it's like to be in the classroom. I, however, do not believe that age should be a determining factor. I've seen plenty of extremely effective admin. with less than five years of teaching experience, and I've seen extremely poor admin. with more than twenty years of teaching experience. When it comes to my skill sets and interests, they are much more aligned with administrative responsibilities than anything else. I am very curious about what you think when it comes to a young teacher wanting to "cross over." Also, if there are any administrators reading this forum, do you have any advice? I'm planning to begin my master's in educational leadership next summer, and I plan to pursue my doctorate in ed. policy and leadership thereafter. Do your administrators hold degrees in these specialized fields?
While I don't necessarily think age matters, I do think experience does. How can one evaluate effective teaching if they haven't been in the classroom long enough to develop an extremely large toolbox of effective strategies?
I agree completely. Until you earn you admin license, I recommend taking on teacher-leader roles wherever you can. Participate in committees, chair at least one committee, become a grade-level or department lead/chair, attend teacher-leader workshops and conferences, participate in action research, be a new teacher mentor (once you've had a few years of teaching experience), and ask admin for extra responsibilities. In addition, you should volunteer to supervise extra-curricular activities from time to time, including athletics, dances, and performances.
I think you are 100% correct about experienced administrators. Having tons of teaching experience doesn't not make you a successful administrator. It definitely helps (especially with empathizing with teachers and staff), but it's more about your personal qualities and skill sets that make you successful. You do need a degree in Educational Leadership (or equivalent depending on the state) to be an administrator. I don't know many that have gone on for additional degrees besides their superintendency. It doesn't mean they aren't out there, I know they are, I just don't know many. I began my Educational Leadership degree after 6 years of teaching. I graduated last year and am finishing my 9th year as a teacher. I'm hoping to make the move to be an administrator soon. My advice would be continue to get as much teaching experience as you can (which it sounds like you want to) and make sure to get into a program that requires internship hours. Those internship hours give you a wide range of experiences that you don't get as a classroom teacher. Hopefully you work in a district where your current principal will support you and be a mentor for you. My superintendent and principal were my mentors and they have been the best relationships I've developed! Building a network of people to support you is the best thing you could do. When you so make the move to administration, those people will still be there to help you through it and to bounce ideas off of when you get stuck. Good luck!
You do need a degree in Educational Leadership (or equivalent depending on the state) to be an administrator. I don't know many that have gone on for additional degrees besides their superintendency. It doesn't mean they aren't out there, I know they are, I just don't know many. [/QUOTE] Thank you! I agree that the relationships are an integral part of the process. I work and reside in Massachusetts and their only requirement to become an administrator is to earn an admin. license; no degree of any sort is required. I, however, want to pursue the degree because I want the experience. I'm sure you've gained a lot from your admin. degree, right? Do you think it was worthwhile? Did you earn a master's in your content area, too, or is it just in admin.? I was pursuing a master's degree in English (leading to professional licensure), but I dropped the program because it's not what I am genuinely interested in. Mass. requires 12 credits of content area experience for professional teacher licensure (I already have 9 credits), so I decided to save my money for the master's in educational leadership, something I want. To me, I don't see the purpose of pursuing a master's in English when I want to spend the rest of my career as an administrator.
My $.02...do not aim to be merely an "administrator". The title implies a perfunctory bureaucratic job whose primary goal is to maintain things as they are. Shoot for a higher goal...choose to be a leader instead. One who has vision and passion and wants to improve things instead of settling for the status quo and shuffling papers around on a desk. We already have enough (too many??) "administrators" in this field. Best wishes. It does sound like you are fortunate enough to have goals and a vision for yourself...I respect that trait. It's not as common as one would think.
I just did the Ed. Leadership masters because I felt very competent in my endorsement/content areas and didn't feel that it was worth the money. I wanted a master's that would allow me to move into leadership or outside rolls if I chose to do that. My Ed. Leadership master's was phenomenal!!! I loved my classes and loved my internship! I gained an incredible amount of insight and people to network with. It was absolutely worth it.
Age matters around here for administration, if you're over 40. Under 40, you'd be a leading candidate. Over 40, they avoid them like the plague. :|
