When a middle school administrator learned that some of her students were being picked on, she took action. She learned that the harassed students had something in common: unpleasant body odor. These children were also poor; most qualified for free lunch, and most were from families that received food stamps. When the administrator discovered that food stamps could not be used to purchase toiletries, she collected sample-size deodorants, soaps, and shampoos and placed them in a box in her office. She then encouraged her students to take what they needed from the box at any time.
Pam Robbins
The taunting needed to be stopped—that was obvious. What wasn't so evident, however, was how an administrator should respond to the underlying reason for the taunting. Her solution was original, humane, and respectful of the students involved. It also reflected the kind of wisdom that should be shared with those who are new to administration, suggested Pam Robbins in her conference session, Mentoring the Assistant Principal.
"Administration is a tough job, and it's getting even tougher," Robbins told participants. This challenging position is made easier, however, when schools create mentoring programs as support mechanisms for rookie administrators.
New assistant principals, observed Robbins, occasionally need "a professional lifeline," and they must feel they can safely draw on that support. Mentoring programs "should be nurturing, supportive, and confidential," Robbins stated. Otherwise, the protégé might be reluctant to ask for help. And asking for assistance, she noted, is especially critical in that first year if the assistant principal is to "gain new skills and try new approaches."
Leading from the Heart
Among the skills protégés must develop and polish are self-management and social awareness. "The primal role of a leader is emotion," Robbins asserted. As leaders, "we must effectively manage our emotions," because they have an "impact on those with whom we interact," she said. What's more, leaders must be socially competent; they should "know how to read—and respond to—body language," for example. These skills, Robbins noted, are what a leader uses to help shape the culture of a school. Without them, an administrator might be a great technician, but have no sense of how to connect with people.
Helping a new assistant principal learn how to connect with students and staff and how to attend to their emotional needs is probably a mentor's most challenging assignment, suggested Robbins. It's a worthwhile endeavor, however, because these skills are important to creating a positive learning environment—an important aspect of any leader's job. Leaders have a responsibility to ensure that staff and students "have a sense of being cared for," Robbins stated.
Mentors can help new administrators consider how to create "a culture of caring" through simple activities, such as asking their protégés to recall a time when they felt cared for and treasured and to use their reflections to develop policies and procedures that help nurture caring attitudes and dispositions. Activities like these, Robbins concluded, reflect what good mentoring programs do: foster deep learning in brief amounts of time.