Principal Thoughts 2022// Issue 28: Being Effective is Essential in Being a Good Principal

Being Effective is Essential in Being a Good Principal

Schools really do well if they have an effective principal. The effectiveness of a principal is partly related to the individual nature of the school they are leading. Some principals will thrive in certain environments which suit them, their skill sets and their background. However moving to another school, which is vastly different, may see them struggling. “Horses for courses” so often applies to the appointment of the right principal. Mind you, in making a good appointment a board will fail if it doesn’t understand the “course” of the school it is governing. This highlights the danger of boards being too far removed from their schools. Being a Board member these days is not an easy task, requires understanding governance and understanding the particular school well with true and not imaginary understanding.


Asking at interview the question of “what makes an effective Principal” will give a board an understanding of whether the interviewee Principal is a possible contender for the senior position. If a candidate is charismatic but chaotic, there is a good chance that they won’t make a good leader. They may be met with initial enthusiasm but that is likely to wear thin as staff deal with a lack of accountable direction. The “honeymoon” period may be positive but then possibly short lived. Staff MUST feel secure and be confident in the direction of the ship and really believe it is not going to end up on the rocks.


Effective Principals must know how to set priorities. All principals will have many more tasks than they can satisfactorily fit into a day, which compounds as the next day will result in the same drowning dilemma. Whilst a Principal may be drawn towards what they like doing, their responsibility is to determine, for the welfare of the school, what they must do.


Here it is important to introduce the notion of “busy”. Most Principals want to feel that they are achieving and have had a productive day.


Returning home exhausted may in fact produce a feeling of success because it has been “so busy”. I have seen Principals dive into the day, work really hard, but sadly on the wrong things. A Principal mustn’t spend all their time on the less important and ignore the big decisions, complicated discussions, effective speeches, meaningful engagements and strategic thinking.


A list should be crafted in a Principal’s diary and time should be taken to determine what are the most important priorities. The only person to determine this effectively will be the Principal. The list in itself provides a strategic approach, with outcomes which will help to make a difference to the school, the children and the staff. I believe the list may present variety and include having a “how are you going” meeting with a new teacher, morning tea with some junior students and a weekly discussion with the school captains. It may also include work on the strategic plan for the board and a meeting with the business manager. A walk in the school for 20 minutes may provide some exercise and an opportunity to say “hi” to some students or to look at a project being undertaken by a teacher. Teaching a lesson may be part of the list. The variety certainly does make the Principal’s job interesting but if the day is random, important things won’t be done.


There are a lot of “mays” in the last paragraph because each Principal’s list will be different. There will be days when variety is not possible because there is a board report or a plan of some sort to be produced and neither will emerge as effective documents if they have been written through a sea of interruptions or indeed at the point of exhaustion as the night wears on.


Consideration of the morale of the staff should be a regular item on the list. Effective and creative ways of leading this are so important and will not be achieved by a Principal continually isolating themselves in their office or failing to really think about it constructively and creatively. I also strongly believe that the Principal must show their capacity to be the Educational Leader in the school and not simply an Administrator. As the Educational Leader creatively presenting this to staff is helpful for their practice and for their security. After all staff must believe in their leader.


A well-chosen two line statement which has meaning may do this admirably or indeed a catchy story of paragraph length. What is important is that they hear something well considered. Silence in this situation is not golden. Engaging with staff is a real art remembering that their minds are filled with the important clutter of a busy day.


The following is pretty simple and may be considered trite but it makes a point and is designed to be remembered.


A Teaching Anthem

Farewell to the one style learning,

Farewell to long boring times.

Farewell to poor, dull lessons

That ignore kids’ restless signs.

For this year will be the best,

That I’ve ever taught my rhymes,

For to be the best and I’ll not jest

I aim to be the best you will ever find.


This may seem also be thought provoking in another, perhaps more sophisticated way.


Socrates and the Computer

Computers are the source of endless volumes of knowledge and information and much can be learned from them - including through the internet.


If this knowledge is to be of use to you it must be moderated by critical thinking and analysis.


Critical thinking is one of the most powerful tools to use in gaining knowledge which can be used effectively.


Socrates, the philosopher from well over two thousand years ago had a method of helping do this.


He used five questions as his tools:

  1. Clarify underlying concepts.
  2. Probe assumptions made.
  3. Probe rationale, reasons and evidence.
  4. Question viewpoints and perspectives
  5. Question about questions.


Socrates was born in about 470BC in Athens, Greece. Plato was one of his students. Socrates wandered around Athens developing ideas by asking questions.


Be disciples of Socrates and wander around your computer asking questions - you will as a result gain useful knowledge based on critical thought.


What is really powerful is asking questions in the Socratic way of yourself.


Aim to be a reflective, informed, enthusiastic lifelong scholar as a teacher.


Chris Tudor,

Principal Liaison & AISNT Historian 

By Chris Tudor July 22, 2025
new Semester/Term has started for most and it is an opportunity for “Newness” to be profiled: New Start, New Page, New Screen, New Intentions, How to do it Better, How to be Better. The challenge of such Newness is to not do something for a day or a week but for it to add constructively on how we permanently do things
July 20, 2025
🌟 Welcome to Semester 2 🌟