A Principled Principal: 12 Life Lessons I Have Learned About Principled Leadership!

By Eric Todd EdD

The role of the school principal has become more complexed and demanding in recent years. Where once, the site administrator was viewed as no more than a building manager, the numerous tasks of the principal can now range from monitoring daily attendance of the students and staff, to mediating and advocating for at-risk students and their families. Few would disagree, for example, that at least part of the reason administrative vacancies are growing has to do with unrealistic working conditions. Nearly half of new principals leave their schools after three years and nearly 20 percent leave every year (Superville 2020). The need for effective leadership continues to be one of the most important issues facing many schools and districts across the nation. Parents are seeking schools in which their children are nurtured by competent and qualified administrators and teachers. In pondering over what I wanted to share in this book, I began to think of the many different articles and published writing on the subject of effective school leadership. Volumes have been written on what great principals do and don't do. And so, rather than write another book filled with the many ideas written about leadership theory, in this book, I instead recount the many life lessons I've learned regarding the characteristics of a principled leader. My goal is to share what I've learned, with the hope that I might inspire those of us who have been at this for a while as well as what I believe might be very useful ideas to new and future school administrators who desire to be principled principals. "Dr. Todd's easy-going personality and joy for leading comes through in every page, making it seem as if you're having a conversation while enjoying a cup of coffee with a colleague, a mentor, or a friend." -Dr. Clara M. Guerrero, Principal, NEW Academy Canoga Park "Dr. Todd shares heartwarming anecdotes about his personal and educational life that shaped his administrative leadership style. His subsequent principles, reflective of these experiences, can be useful to future administrators and educators anywhere." -Dr. Ronald W. Solórzano, Professor of Education, Occidental College "A Principled Principal is a glimpse into the daily application of beliefs and values in a school setting.  Most compelling is that Dr. Todd shares his life's journey from humble beginnings through his milestones to the emergence of being an effective leader." -Dr. Marta E. Sanchez, Professor of Education, Department of Teaching and Learning, Loyola Marymount University

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098052959

Book preview

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A Principled Principal

12 Life Lessons I Have Learned About Principled Leadership!

Eric A. Todd, EdD

Copyright © 2020 by Eric A. Todd, EdD

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

The Apology Is for You

Time Is Short

Fear Is Good

Won by One

Be Careful What You Say

Listen, but Don’t Listen

The Room Goes Quiet

Whose Vision Is It Anyway?

Takes One to Help One

Look Before You Leap

Calm Before the Calm

Feedforward

To my wife Carol and our sons, Warren and Sean-Anthony. Each has continued to be a source of strength and inspiration during my journey.

Prologue

Dr. Eric Todd and I have had many conversations about school leadership over the years. As the founding board member of NEW Academy, an elementary charter school operator and the Executive Director of New Economics for Women (NEW), a nonprofit community organization dedicated to sparking economic mobility for women and their families, our conversations always involved doing the right thing to spark curiosity and confidence in the school environment. Serving as the School Principal of NEW Academy of Science and Arts, Dr. Todd, a six-foot five inch African American male, took the challenge to create a learning environment for a mono-lingual Spanish and indigenous community in a very low income neighborhood. You might be asking yourself how this is a good fit for this community. But it was the parent community and school board leadership who chose Dr. Todd over a Spanish language candidate. He won everyone over because of the way he related his own experience as a student in a low-income community and his ability to share and articulate his values and principles as a school leader. Universal principles that he shares in his book. That is why I am very excited he has decided to put his words to paper and publish A Principled Principal: 12 Lessons I Have Learned About Principled Leadership.

I admire his ability and courage to share his vulnerable side, his lessons learned and determination to put into practice the principles he lives by, especially in these changing times. Those of you who are attracted to the title, are already on the road to seeking a greater sense of serving and will find A Principled Principal an opportunity to pause and exam your set of principles as a school leader and develop your twelve principles that lead your life.

—Maggie Cervantes, Executive Director, New Economics for Women (NEW)

Introduction

The role of the school principal has become more complexed and demanding in recent years. Where once, the site administrator was viewed as no more than a building manager, the numerous tasks of the principal can now range from monitoring daily attendance of the students and staff, to mediating and advocating for at-risk students and their families. Few would disagree, for example, that at least part of the reason administrative vacancies are growing has to do with unrealistic working conditions. Nearly half of new principals leave their schools after three years, and nearly 20 percent leave every year (Superville 2020).

The need for effective leadership continues to be one of the most important issues facing many schools and districts across the nation. Parents are seeking schools in which their children are nurtured by competent and qualified administrators and teachers. In pondering over what I wanted to share in this book, I began to think of the many different articles and published writing on the subject of effective school leadership. Volumes have been written on what great principals do and don’t do.

And so, rather than write another book filled with the many ideas written about leadership theory, in this book I instead recount the many life lessons I’ve learned regarding the characteristics of a great leader. My goal is to share what I’ve learned with the hope that I might inspire those of us who have been at this for a while, as well as what I believe might be very useful ideas to new and future school administrators who desire to be principled principals.

In 2012, I was asked to give the commencement address for our youngest son’s high school graduation. I decided to entitle my brief remarks, The Number 12. I highlighted how unique and special the members of the class of 2012 were, in relation to the specialness of the number 12.

Think about it, consider how often the number 12 is used with such great significance. It often appears in many meaningful ways in our everyday lives. Look at the following list of just a few examples:

The twelve