What I Would Do If I Were the Principal…
Image of a principal’s office created by Gemini AI
What I Would Do If I Were the Principal….
I’ve heard a lot of people say over the years, “If I were a principal, I would…”
And then they fill in the blank with their ideas, quick fixes, simple solutions, Monday-morning-quarterbacking, confident declarations about what should happen next. So simple. So easy. So certain.
But most of us have never sat in that chair. It’s a hot seat. A fighter pilot cockpit. Think NASA.
I didn’t know it either, not really, not until I spent enough time watching and working with principals and actually seeing them do the numerous elements of the job. I saw the long hours, the tough calls, the phone calls, the after school responsibilites, and the love and responsibility they carry for so many! It’s amazing to be blunt. I realized something: this might be one of the hardest jobs in education. It might also be one of the jobs everyone has an opinion about. Funny how that works.
You stand on the outside looking in and you think you see the whole picture. You don’t.
A principal carries weight most of us never feel. Every decision. Every parent call. Every student struggle. Every staff tension. Every community expectation. All at once. Every single day. Many times in a day.
So when people share what they think they’d do if they were principal, I politely share a new way of looking at the role and when I’m done, they get it.
May 1st is National Principals Day. I know I’m a few weeks early, but some things shouldn’t wait for the calendar to catch up.
Here’s what I want to say.
If you’ve been part of a school, a principal shaped it. Whether you knew it or not. You felt their fingerprints on the place.
In football, linemen are the unsung heroes. They do the hard work. They take the hits. Everyone else’s job becomes possible because of them. After 35 years in education, I’ll tell you principals are the linemen of schools.
When I taught for 26 years, I got feedback. Notes from parents. Kind words from colleagues. Encouragement from students. It mattered. It felt good to be seen.
Look at principals and you see something different.
Phone calls that start with concern. Emails thick with frustration. Conversations that demand patience, restraint, and wisdom. Decisions with no perfect answer. Only the best possible answer in an impossible moment.
They show up tomorrow and do it again.
Principals aren’t in this for applause. They do it because they believe. In students. In teachers. In what a school becomes when someone leads it with care and intention. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need encouragement. That doesn’t mean they don’t feel the weight. They feel it deeply.
What most people never see are the thousand quiet moments. The fires they put out before there’s even smoke. The conversations they have to protect a teacher. The 10 PM. emails about schedules and staffing and student needs. The opportunities they create. The time away from their famiies. The way they celebrate someone and push them forward.
Most of their best work is invisible. Most is unrecognized.
I think back on my own career. So much of what I was able to do, to create, to become was possible because principals supported me. Especially later, when I was trying new ideas and stretching beyond what seemed possible.
I remember what it felt like to get a compliment from a principal. It lifted me. Made me stand taller. Made me want to do more. That kind of encouragement stays.
So here’s my ask. Don’t wait for May 1st. Find a principal… From your past. From now. From your community. Write them something short. Send a message. Tell them “well done.”
You don’t have to agree with every call they’ve made. None of us gets everything right, but you can find something worth recognizing. Something true.
Their job is incredibly hard. Hard in ways most people will never understand unless they’ve held it.
We talk about teacher burnout. We should. It’s real. But principal burnout is real too. It just doesn’t make the news the same way. And it should.
I’m grateful for the principals who shaped me as a kid. The ones who pushed me toward character. I’m grateful for the ones who believed in me as a teacher and supported work that was a little unconventional. And I’m honored to work alongside principals now who show up every single day for their schools.
There was a time I didn’t understand what a principal does. I do now. And I’m in awe.
So if you’re reading this, find a principal and say thank you.
They need it. They deserve it.
~ Kelly
Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. You can sign-up for his email here. • Invite Kelly to speak at your event! • Explore the resources on his website: www.kellycroy.com. • Check out all of Kelly’s content here: https://linktr.ee/kellycroy
