I have recently retired as a school administrator after 51 plus in education.  I have been reading about a lot of new administrators who are all ready burning out, feel overwhelmed, overworked, and under compensated.  I was fortunate to have worked in more than a dozen schools and similar number of other educational positions. I worked in seven states and two countries. My point in saying this as I changed jobs, I had to thoroughly investigate each one before accepting the new assignment. ...

As you begin your new school year, I wanted to share with you something that I did to involve, engaging and build relationships with families----I call them “Family Forums”.  I decided that Family Forums would not only become a normal part of building a successful reciprocal relationship with the families in my classroom but also a time to teach and learn from one another. My forums were a party for my families, not a meeting but a place to come and have fellowship with others. It was also a...

It is the most exciting time of the year as teachers start returning back to school. Teachers and administrators are looking forward to the new school year. Many administrators think that this is a time for team building and professional development in the short time before students  arrive. As a former principal, I learned that teachers are anxious to get into their classrooms and prepare for school to start.

What I was told was that our teachers appreciated how I approached the...