Brian S. Ritchie
Assistant Principal
Philosophy Statement: The Role of a Principal in a School
I believe that effective supervision is defined by an administrator’s ability
to immerse themselves into every aspect of a school’s culture. Listening first,
prior to acting on impulse, is always essential. When an administrator reaches
a point of true school cultural understanding, they will then have the ability
to make decisions that are more in line with the essential needs of a school. At
this point, true collaboration and community trust may be built.
The best supervisor understands that the strongest school
communities are built on a shared vision of high expectations and based on the
needs of the school’s culture. The needs of the school culture are
understood and shared by administrators, faculty members, parents, students and
any stakeholder who lives in the community. All stake holders should have a
voice and influence in the decisions that an effective supervisor makes.
Administrative decisions must always be made with the best
interest of the school community in mind. Although, every stake holder may not
agree with all decisions, the message must be clear that every decision at the
administrative level is being made with honesty, integrity and with a direct
correlation to the mission of the school. Great communication with all members
of the school community can help ensure that every member of the school
community understand what the mission is, as well as, what steps are in place
to ensure success.
Supervisory Platform
• Availability:
I will make myself
available to the school community with a welcoming understanding of my desire
to assist.
•Visibility:
I will be visible throughout
the school building on a daily basis in order to maintain a concrete and
healthy influence on school culture.
•Collegial
Relationships:
1.) I will maintain
the image and dependability as an instructional leader.
2.) I will allow
faculty the opportunity to teach and manage their classrooms in a way which is
complimentary to their teaching styles as long as the teacher is utilizing best
practices and effective classroom management techniques.
3.) I will seek out professional development opportunities for
faculty in order to improve school wide instruction.
4.) I will utilize a
Transformational Style of leadership with a focus on collaboration and team
building.
•School Community
Trust
I will constantly work
on building and strengthening relationships and trust with the school community
by having an open door policy, open lines of communication, and collaboratively
creating and maintaining a clear school mission.
•Communication
1.) I will ensure
effective communication is being shared with my school community by offering
multiple forms of communication. These forms of communication may include
newsletters, emails, phone calls and other methods of communication that are
available.
2.) I will ensure that
communication is being received from the community by actively listening and
replying in a conscientious manner.
