Step up to that pedestal; it's great being king or queen of the school!

Leadership, March-April, 2002 by George Manthey

The following poems highlight for me three of the times it's great to be a school leader.

Playground Darts

   At Riverside School
   with a playground of
   bare dirt
   red ants
   and weeds
   My time was often spent
   assembling darts of
   green foxtails
   capped with a bud
   of pineapple weed

   Nearing 50
   and now The Principal
   I noticed a playground
   of bare dirt
   red ants
   and weeds

   I had no choice
   tradition compelled
   my students learned
   (I taught them well)
   to make darts of
   green foxtails and pineapple weed

   And to throw them
   without being seen
   by The Principal

My first principal, Mr. Hubert Rae of Sacramento, was the force to be reckoned with should I be caught throwing a playground dart. Learning from him what might put me into "really big trouble" played an important role in my moral development. Observing the gains in our students' moral development is a great joy of school leadership; although being bruised while dispensing "big trouble" may not be.

On a Pedestal

   Looking in your mirror
   Wearing your rose-colored glasses
   Standing on your pedestal

   I liked what I saw.

   May I borrow them again?

Anyone who becomes an elementary school principal experiences an absolute delight when greeted for the first time by admiring students. I've been told that even middle and high school principals have had this experience. District office administrators are usually treated as celebrities when they visit school campuses.

Once the honeymoon is over and school leaders have earned the respect of students, the glow through which students view them can become almost holy (with a small "h"). Stepping up "on a pedestal" and hearing a kindergarten student announce, "Here comes the king [or queen] of the school!" is a joy unknown in any other profession.

Haven't Lost It

   Walked into my classroom
   Sat down at my desk
   Found a poem I'd written
   Liked the image that it left
   Still got it
   Still got it

   Walked into my classroom
   Sat down at my desk
   Drew a picture for my poem
   Smiled at how the two connect

   Still got it
   Still got it

   Walked into my classroom
   Sat down at my desk
   Sang a song we'd written
   Words that jangle in my head
   Still got it
   Still got it

   Walked into our classroom
   Smiled at all my friends
   Wrote and drew and sang together
   Got the joy that each one sent
   Haven't lost it
   Haven't lost it

(modeled from "Still Got It" by Eloise Greenfield)

Those times when our students become artists, whether performing a play, writing a poem, singing or playing at a concert, drawing a picture or reciting with expression, bring incredible joy -- often accompanied with a tear sliding down a cheek.

In this Age of Accountability we are working hard to ensure all students meet high standards. If we fail to experience great joy along the route we'll stop caring if we get there.

Go catch someone throwing darts, writing a poem, singing soulfully at a concert. Step up on that pedestal. It's good to be a school leader!

George Manthey, educational services executive for ACSA, coordinates the services of individuals who support II / USP schools through the California Curriculum Management Audit Center.