Education Administration

I was there; the young teacher that looked at the administration and believed “no way!” The pressure, the problems; there are not enough hours to tackle being an administrator.

It is not all roses, by any means. What I loved about being an administrator was the variety of the role. Any day could be wrought with helping a student with their academic issues, or helping a teacher think through classroom management, or helping my division head plan a presentation to the faculty, or helping a parent to understand a decision.

The four major constituencies in a school are the students, teachers, parents and administrators. We all have the same objective- we desire to do what is in the best interests of developing our students, academically, artistically, athletically and morally. Administrators, everyday, function with the different constituencies toward ensuring that this objective is accomplished.

I was not always excited about education administration. In fact, I remember being a sophomore, taking my first education course in undergraduate school at Berea College. My mom asked me if I desired to be a principal some day. I smirked and exclaimed “the classroom is the only place in a school where you can make a difference- when I leave the classroom is when I retire.”

I then went on to leave the classroom- to get my Master's in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky. I worked in corporate America for a year, but I missed the kids (even thought the pay was incredible). I discovered something about myself, however, through this experience. I loved business case studies. I loved working with teams toward an end goal. I loved working on projects and developing programs. Education administration is one area where these roles are a focal point.

The common denominator was problem solving. Looking at a challenge and navigating the twists and turns to come to a final solution is exciting. Looking at different parts of an organization and working with many different people is challenging. Great administrators are problem solvers. Students come with problems; teacher and parents do the same. The great administrators listen to the issue, analyze the problem, create a solution, articulate it to the constituent at hand and work to implement that solution.