School Principals' Day (May 1st)
You can have great teachers, but if you don’t have a good principal, you won’t have a good school.
Eli Broad
It’s funny in a sad sort of way, the principal is the chief villain in almost every high school show ever, and rarely do we see a positive supportive one represented. This leads us to the rather unfortunate conclusion that Principals are our enemy, and the enemy of every student no matter how studios and responsible. School Principals’ Day sets out to change that, and to raise awareness of just how important the school principal really is to the success of the school.
History of School Principals’ Day
No matter how big or small your school is, you’re going to have a principal. Sometimes you’ll even have more than one, but what exactly do these often Mysterious and much-maligned members of the staff actually do? You may be surprised to find out they do far more than terrorize students and administer detentions, suspensions, and expulsions. This was the foundation of what students and parents alike believed them to be, and the Teacher’s Association decided it was time to create a celebration of these hard working heads of school staff, and raise awareness of all that their job entails.
The first thing to understand is that the school is on the principal’s mind, both before the day begins, and long after the school day is over for the students. From the moment they wake till the moment they go to bed the school is on their minds, how to help students be more successful, how to manage students, teachers, and parents expectations.
Most principals are former teachers and just like any other profession, they worked their way up to leading the school. It’s not uncommon for principals to substitute for a teacher who’s off sick. So they know what it takes to engage with pupils and make learning fun. This is why they should be seen as more than authority figures and still thought of as teachers trying to make a difference in the children’s lives.
Throughout their day they meet with the teachers, sharing concerns about students, lesson plans, or goals they’re trying to achieve in their school. Sometimes it’s just to vent, the Principal is everyone’s school counselor. And we do mean everyone! Who do you think your parents see when they’re concerned about your performance, or want to yell about a teacher?
Their work is endless, and they are worthy of honor for the work they do.
How to celebrate School Principals’ Day
It’s pretty simple really, put together an organized event to show the principal how much you appreciate what they do. Invite them to your class and when they swing open the door, suddenly shower them with gifts. A typed letter doesn’t have the same sort of emotion so handwritten ‘thank you’ letters from pupils would be an amazing heartfelt gesture. If you’re a person of few words, a nice box of chocolates would be a neat gift too. Also, go around the room and allow each pupil to express one or more things they like about the principal. It can be personal or general, such as the time they cheered you up when you were feeling low or perhaps improving the food in the cafeteria.
You could go another route, by just going into their office (not during a class period) and thanking them for what they do. Tell them how much you appreciate the efforts they go through to make your school great!
Make a thank you pop-up card! Think of a time or event, where the principal showed how much they care about the school. It’s easy to make a pop-up card, what with all the tutorials on YouTube these days. It’s also a personal gift, because it takes time to make and get right. Bespoke gifts such as this, will be something the principal keeps in their scrapbook, so they can look back on their careers knowing they were loved.
We all have smartphones these days. Just this once, children ought to take photos at school, as long as it’s with their principal. Post the photos on social media using the relevant hashtags for the event in celebration. Just a few photos of the principal with pupils wouldn’t look like a momentous occasion. The entire school should get involved so you may want to start a Facebook group in order to organize the event.
Every class can make a banner which has a sentence that expresses how fond you are of the principal. ‘Thank you for all you do’ or ‘we love your smile’ are along the lines of sentiment you should express. There’s bound to be someone in the school who knows how to fly drones. How awesome would it be to get a drone shot of all the classes holding up their banners? You would really be showing the scale of the school, showing all the faces who the principal has had an impact on as well as, unity in showing thanks. You never know, you could go viral!
The lasting impact
Showing the principal you care will have a multitude of impacts. You won’t just affect the principal themselves, but the school as a whole. Positive leadership reinforcement is going to leave a lasting impression on many children. The pupils and the parents know that the principal works hard but ultimately, we don’t quite understand what kind of pressures they are under. Therefore, a day of appreciation is the perfect opportunity for the younger generation to learn about how important it is to shoulder responsibility and dedicate your time to helping others grow. Children need positive role models but they’re rarely in contact with such kinds of people. However their principal should be made a primary example of what it means to be a great leader.
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