Wanted: two people to share job

Catholic New Times, Feb 9, 2003 by Larry Carney

A while back, I noticed an ad in CNT looking for a principal or some administrator for a Catholic school. That got me thinking and wondering if the following proposal would be practical: hire two people to share authority; one would be organized and efficient, while the other would be an "idea" or "inspiration" person.

It seems to me that all schools, and especially religious schools, have a philosophy-of-education problem. Some leaders envision a neat, organized world where you pretty well have all the answers; you just have to get them across to the students.

They offer a clear-cut curriculum that usually coincides with what everybody else is doing. They look for and get measurable results. They have a "top-down" mentality. At times, they seem to lack openness and originality.

Other leaders seem to be inspired from within. They have new ideas, are open to experiments and like a lot of options in the direction the school is taking. They do a lot of listening--to teachers and to students. They seem more democratic in their approach. However, their offices are usually cluttered, they have more exceptions to the rule and they often have trouble keeping up with paperwork.

Is there a place for a dual administration, if you can actually find two such people who can work together? I like the idea. Meanwhile, I hope that the school with the ad was able to somehow find that rare person who can be both.

Larry Carney

Clifford, ON