Tips for directors

This site is dedicated to the memory of Fred Caruolo, former principal of Byram Hills High School, Armonk, New York, who committed suicide while serving as principal. At the time, School Board members had decided that principals were too lenient in their evaluations of teachers. They wanted to see direct, honest and realistic evaluations, especially from poor teachers, not the timid evaluations they said they were used to receiving. When Fred followed his instructions, all hell broke loose. The teachers unite against him. The teachers’ association insisted on participating in some evaluations. Fred’s response was to miss the deadlines for his evaluations. Weeks passed and he still did not deliver them. Then one day, he closed his garage doors and started the engine of his car.

All of us directors knew what had killed him. However, we were too intimidated to speak. The wisest of us ignored the instructions of the School Board and continued to praise the teachers, even the poorest. I am only telling you this now, more than twenty years after I left that school system. Fred’s wife sued, claiming “wrongful death,” but I don’t know what the outcome was.

1. Every school has its bad teachers. How should a director handle them? Let me offer this advice:

Keep your relationship friendly.

For repeated violations of good teaching and good work habits, write a note to the teacher, with a copy in the teacher’s file, pointing out the violation(s) without withdrawing support. “I’m going to put bed bugs in your bed if you don’t get to school on time. Please don’t make my life difficult! Help me! Be on time!”

Make suggestions for improvement, spoken or written, in a helpful spirit. “We’re all trying to do what’s best for students. Here’s a suggestion…I’m not always right, but this is what I believe.”

Avoid harsh judgment calls like the plague.

2. Never get angry. Confrontations always escalate.

Find the humorous answer.

• To the deceased eternal teacher: I am going to put bedbugs in your bed.
• Dejected employee: did you lose your boyfriend/girlfriend?

3. Make your limits known. If possible, make them a policy. 4. Don’t be overwhelmed by pushy/demanding/talkative teachers/parents. It is better to be alone than to be at the mercy of pushy/demanding/talkative teachers/parents. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to talk to you.”

5. When you disagree with your superiors, ask first: is it okay if I express my opinion on this topic?

• Communicate. Keep your superiors up to date on what you are doing at work.
• Don’t expect superiors to be any different. They are unlikely to change. We are the ones who should get along. When a superior is negative towards you, he does not respond negatively. Rather, try to bridge the gap.

6. Acknowledge that you may not be right. If a teacher is conscientious, trustworthy and honorable, he is satisfied. A teacher has the right to his own way of teaching.

7. When a parent complains to you about a teacher, request that the parent complain to the teacher before taking any action.

8. As far as possible, resort to politics. Develop written policies that you can refer to. For example: Policy: We do not accept children visiting classrooms (children visiting families, where families want the school to care for the children during the school day).

9. A confrontational style is doomed to failure. When you are impatient, upset, and bossy, you meet resistance from your listener, who finds ways to pay you back. He always speak softly, never raise his voice, be a calm and confident presence.

10. How to say “no”:

“At this school we have to weigh priorities all the time. Our staff is absolutely overworked. I wish we could do more, but we don’t have time. More staff is the only solution.”

“A school has so many constituents that it’s impossible to please them all. We just have to do the best we can, as we see it.”

“We are like parents with hundreds of mothers-in-law and fathers-in-law. We are happy to receive advice, but in the end the decisions about the school have to be ours.”

11. Don’t take on the curriculum too much. If you do a good job with the basics, you’re doing a good job. Beware of plugins that parents and parent groups like the PTA are looking for. When parents want a foreign language in elementary school, Circle of Friends programs, etc., etc., explain, “Our curriculum is completely full. We’re sorry we can’t add anything more.”

12. Volunteers are a distraction. You and the teachers have enough to do without bothering with volunteers. It is true that there are some wonderful and helpful people who are good volunteers. However, mixed in with them are those busybodies and troublemakers who take up too much of their time.

13. “Gifted and talented” programs that base entry on an IQ test are elitist. IQ tests overlook specific gifts and talents. Gifted and talented students should be served with advanced courses, library projects, correspondence courses, computer programs, and additional work in workbooks and kits, depending on what interests them. The Internet is a great resource for these students.

14. Don’t just be the school’s discipliner, which is what some teachers will want and expect you to be. If a student is “sent to the principal’s office,” have a secretary automatically call the student’s home for a parent to come pick them up and drive them home for the rest of the day. If a parent is not available, have the student sit in the waiting area until bus time.

15. Keep your focus on the students, they are your mission.

16. Make room for yourself. You make mistakes when you’re in a hurry.