Sunday, June 29, 2008

So You Want To Be Principal


Mr. AP would like to be a principal. If he asked, here is the letter of recommendation I would write:




To Whom It May Concern:

Mr. AP has been at Packemin HS for many years. He first served as a teacher and then moved on to become the chairperson of the department. The department has benefited greatly from his ability to fix the copy machine, whenever it breaks down. He is also good at finagling extra masters and ink for the machine.

Mr. AP is the type of principal you want if you want someone who believes he is smarter than everyone else in the building. No one knows as much as he does or has more common sense. He can determine whether a child will pass or fail, just by looking at a name and a few test scores.

If you want to hire a principal that knows how to antagonize parents, Mr. AP is the man for you. He yells at parents if they knock on his office door and he makes them wait long periods of time to talk to him. He will not consider any requests they make if they are different than what he has in mind for that particular student.

If you believe that one ethnic group should be favored over all others, hire Mr. AP. This ethnic group of students gets preferential treatment. He also hires teachers only of this ethnicity also.

Mr. AP is constantly blaming teachers for all the ills of the school. He will berate them if their regents grades
are not high enough. He will berate them if their final grades are not within 5 points of the regents exam. He will not allow them to make their own decisions about who should pass and who should fail. If you want a principal that will hold teachers accountable for all the school's troubles, Mr.
AP is your candidate.


If these are the qualities you are looking for in your next principal, hire Mr. AP. No one does any of the above better than he does them.


Sincerely
yours,


Ms. POd

14 comments:

17 (really 15) more years said...

At least he has "experience". There is a 24 year old butt kisser in my school (who has been teaching only 2 years) who is going for her administration certification. When asked if she could do her hours in the school, my AP practically fell all over herself with glee.

She has no classroom management, dresses inappropriately, has tattos prominently displayed for the kiddies to see, and admitted to me that she only taught half the curriculum this past year. Sounds like the perfect administrator.

Anonymous said...

I have an opening for Mr. AP. in district 20 where if you are white you can be hire on the spot. Send him there. No questions asked, no experience required.

JUSTICE not "just us" said...

I could never be one and neither can you and your relatives and friends! Why? It has to the do with the way we were raised!

Pissedoffteacher said...

Believe it or not, he is probably worse than the butt kissers around.

Age did not bring him wisdom, only wisdumb.

IMC Guy said...

Great letter! It certainly made me laugh.

Anonymous said...

I not sure what your intention was, but if you were writing to Klein, your AP matches each and every one of his requriements for school leadership.

Based on your letter alone, he can become the next Suit.

However, if you wrote that he was caring, provided excellent professional development, and was a collaborator respected by both teachers and parents, Klein would send him to the Rubber Room.

So you may want to reconsider this recommendation and write something glowing from a teacher's point of view.

Schoolgal

Anonymous said...

Wow. That could almost fit Ms. AP. Only I don't think she wants to be principal. Lord help whoever has to work under her if she does.

Anonymous said...

Oops. Sorry for multiple posts. Comp freaked out.

Anonymous said...

Why SHOULDN'T the principal berate the teachers if the Regents' exam scores are low.

Should he berate the janitor?

Hello, you are paid to TEACH.

If the scores are low, you are obviously not teaching.

Pissedoffteacher said...

Or, maybe you are teaching kids with a third grade math and reading level high school math. Or maybe you are teaching a kid who has been absent over 40 times. Or maybe you are teaching a kid who never does homework and never studies. Sorry, but it is not necessarily the teacher's fault. Why not try letting the student take some responsibility for their grades?

Anonymous said...

To Anon!

What a disgusting comment. No one should be "yelled" out. We keep individual records on students' academic growth. A student can still have one year's growth and still not pass.

Also, students new the the country must also take these tests. People forget that the math test is also a reading comprehension test. Students with IEPs are also subject to the same rules under NCLB even if it goes agaisnt the IEP.



Just what is your background in all this???

Schoolgal

Pissedoffteacher said...

Well said Schoolgal, thanks.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I recant my rude comment. You are right. I was not counting the issues you had mentioned.

Now back from a Massachusetts vacation, I can think clearer, LOL.

I hope you accept my apology. I look forward to reading more of your blog. What a great find!

Pissedoffteacher said...

Hope you had a good Mass. vacation. Thank you for your kind words.