Life and Times of an Assistant Principal

The person I chose at my applied study site to shadow was Veda Sinsabaugh the Assistant Principal. She is a mother of 5 grown kids and was a teacher for many years. She is a really cool lady and I feel she is a great compliment to the Principal Shaun Holmes.  The morning included her having play ground duty and I stood with her and she played tag with some over energetic first graders. She also had a heart felt discussion with a student who was in a remedial reading class and he felt embarrassed and knows he reads better then that. Veda was comforting and reassured him they would test together soon and move him promptly. We went back to her office and it was observations of teacher's day and so I attended classroom observations and it was a real treat watching teachers in action. The Assistant Principal also hands out Birthday pencils to students and she put me in charge of that and that was a hoot. I delivered pencils to 3 girls and wished them a Happy Birthday and gave them their pencils. Veda called the teachers so they knew I was coming and it went off wonderfully. The Assistant Principal keeps a log of phone calls and every student that comes into her office for disciplinary reasons. Veda and I discussed the log book and entries go in by date and resolution of items in the book are written in red and dated. Any notes from teachers or action plans are also attached into the log book and it accounts for all her actions on the phone and in her office. It looked to be an invaluable tool.  She explained to me that all calls and disciplinary interviews are in the log book and easy for her to back and overview. The Assistant Principal is where students who have misbehaved have to go see. She has a very motherly quality to her and usually starts all conversations with students; " Why don't you tell me why you are here." The student usually gets their side in and then she reads the note from the teacher and then the questions start.  One instance that entered her office was a fifth grade girl brought in a little Swiss army knife to school and was using the scissors part of the knife in class.  That would be a big problem because that is considered a weapon and the student could be suspended for that. Veda handled it wonderfully and gave the girl lunch detention for the rest of the week and confiscated the little knife and call the girl's parents. The amazing part was that the parents were unhappy the girl got any detention and I was shocked.  The things Veda looked at included the girl wasn't using the Swiss army knife as a weapon but as scissors and this girl was not a repeat offender and understood the mistake.  After 4 discipline type office visits I was put with a first grade boy that was disturbing his class and sent to the office. The young man and I worked for about an hour together on his work and by the end of the time he was doing all his work and in great spirits and so was I. Then it was off to the lunch room and helping the lunch staff and watching over the lunch room.  In review of the time spent with the Assistant Principal she deals with a lot of phone calls and disciplinary issues with students. She also does teacher observations and oversees playgrounds, lunch and arriving and departing busses. She is a busy lady and is a blast to hang out with. I can see myself as an Assistant Principal because it fits my personality better and I like the interaction with the students. This activity was time well spent and I have learned so much from my time at Navajo Elementary School and working with these great administrators.