<p>Should I be worried? I swear, I don't think I would have thought twice about this stuff before I started hanging out on CC, and for the most part I have been fine my kids school ( 14 years), and how my D thrived there, but I must say as her college departure looms, I am getting increasingly nervous about her preparation, and about how to evaluate her ( and her younger brother's ) schooling. What does it take to be a good principal ( this is a small Christian school BTW), and what questions is it okay for a parent to ask about this?</p>
<p>Who hired him? What are his qualifications?</p>
<p>We had a new principal last year. The guy is young, and it was his first principalship. The beginning was rocky, but he really grew through the year.</p>
<p>Growing up, my bff’s dad was the varsity football coach, biology instructor, principal, and eventually superintendent of a neighboring district. Some people are really just multi-talented. EVERYONE loves/loved him despite his gruff style and he got results not only from his players but also from his staff, students, and parents. They still call him to this day trying to get him to teach, coach etc. even though he’s been retired for 5 years.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t assume things will go badly, he could be highly qualified. Now if you tell me the football coach was the only one that applied and agreed to be paid slave wages…well, you know. That would be different.</p>
<p>Given that its an independent school, I would guess that its unlikely that the football coach was <em>just</em> a football coach. </p>
<p>At one of the better prep schools I could name, one of the well liked administrators is also a very talented coach. He’s also been a teacher and dorm parent. He’d certainly be qualified to be the headmaster … I think they actually like to move faculty and administration around so that they experience all facets of running the school.</p>
<p>My AP Computer Science teacher was also the coach of the school’s football team. He was one of the nicest teachers I had, and practically all of us got 5s on the AP exam when it rolled around. He even coached our programming team for this yearly competition we’d go to at U Penn (my year we even beat the U Penn team).</p>
<p>Just because someone’s involved in sports doesn’t mean they aren’t talented elsewhere.</p>
<p>Well my kids have been their at least 14 years and he has never been a teacher there ( other than weight training) as far as I know. My son ( who is trembling now) says he used to play professional football, if that counts. My son is trembling because the guy is really buff, and is known as the “enforcer”. He’s pretty gruff ( buff anfd gruff!), but is also said to be a great singer…that’s all I know, and I’m not sure how to be diplomatic about this. Again , we have been here as long as anyone; longer than the new principal, and we have chuckled over politics, but for some reason this has me a little concerned. Perhaps it is because the former principal has been there for so long, and we know her ( and her three daughters, the last of whiom graduated with ours) so well, and she has been VERY understanding of our disruptive son, since he was just a wee preschooler. The football coach, (especially when my son chose soccer over his attempts to recruit him for football,) has been much less warm and fuzzy. On reading more closely, it is only “acting” pricipal, so I will not over react.</p>
<p>Think about it from outside of the box…the principal may be very talented at getting people on the same page and getting people to work together towards a goal. He will be very good at motivating his educational team. He will be very good at getting the best out of every individual.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>I guess the thing I would worry about is the possibility that the the new Principal would set a tone where the school’s athletic prowess was valued over its academic achievements even more so than is currently the case.</p>
<p>Just so long as you don’t see him sitting in the Principal’s office wearing a baseball cap and gray sweatshirt with a whistle hanging around his neck, you might have a chance.</p>
<p>Hahaha! My peeve with him has been football above all other sports. At THIS school though, there is no doubt that nothing comes above the Christian values. Did manage to sneak in a look at evolution and a few AP classes though…</p>
<p>Just hope this doesn’t mean the already favored football players are even more favored when the coach takes over.</p>
<p>I am mostly interested in what a principal does exactly, in a school like this.; there is also a CEO and board of directors. I suppose it is they who decide the direction the school will head in, while the principal supports or directs the teachers? The last principal has been very hands on, at all the events. and definately giving the school a very personal and family feel.</p>
<p>^^The principal sets the tone for the faculty which in turn sets the tone for the school. The principal is the teachers’ direct boss and writes their performance reviews.</p>
<p>Do “Christian Values” include football a la Notre Dame? Hmm.</p>
<p>Hmmm… closest I’ve come to Notre Dame is rerun’s of “Rudy”… I’ll have to think about that!</p>
<p>Actually the skills of both positions are quite transferrable. Both coaches and principals are leaders, motivators and disciplinarians; they’re able to connect with kids and have acquired the people-skills necessary to deal with adults as well–parents, fans, administrators, etc. If the coach has done the grad work (and clearly he has or the Board wouldn’t have hired him) to be a qualified principal, he may do a great job. After all, he has been teaching basic football skills AND life skills all along the way. He’s probably also mentored young, assistant coaches–an experience not unlike working with an inexperienced teaching staff. Coaching can offer great preparation for school administration!</p>
<p>The only high school position that can be more stressful than the principalship is a head coaching job. The sport may vary with the community, but the stress is universal–at least in schools that emphasize any given sport. </p>
<p>In my experience the MOST important qualities of a good building principal are leadership and people skills. If this guy was a good coach, he may well be a good principal. Give the guy a chance; he might surprise you.</p>
<p>At a lot of prep school’s principals also spend a huge amount of time fundraising from alumni.</p>
<p>This has been very helpful, thanks! </p>
<p>BTW, I have heard teachers do not need (the same?) accreditation at this school, so not sure about the grad work. Tiny school; 89 in graduating class, their seventh graduating class, but growing. Definately not what I would call a prep school from what I’ve learned here, but fundraising is a big part of life here, mostly via the “CEO” types. And he has been the sports director ( while clearly and explicitely favoring the football team…arghh..)</p>
<p>Five years ago at S2’s charter middle school, the PE teacher became the Principal. I just read recently that he had been relieved of his duties. The newspaper didn’t say why and I haven’t heard.</p>
<p>S1 had two different football coaches for APUSH and AP Stats. Both were good teachers, smart guys, def. no nonsense going on in their classes. S did very well on both exams.</p>
<p>Just about every football coach in Texas grows up to be a school administrator.</p>