The New York City licensing exam that existed in the not-so-distant
past tested that candidates were proficient in written and spoken Eng-
lish. Until an applicant could pass this test, he was a “substitute” filling
a position until a licensed teacher could be found. It was relatively easy
to remove such a teacher if his poor command of English interfered with
student understanding. Unfortunately, today most certification exams
only test for command of written English.
A school leader also needs to listen to her staff. This is one of the most
difficult parts of the job. There are rarely enough hours in the day to do
everything that needs to be done, so listening patiently to a staff member
discuss issues the school leader has little or no control over can seem a
waste of time. It isn’t. The staff of a school sees its leaders as problem
solvers, and of more than just school issues. Staff members will come to
a supervisor for advice on everything from stock investments to parenting
to marital problems. These staff members know it would be inappropriate
for her to give advice (and she really shouldn’t). They just want someone
they respect to listen to them.
It will not take the new school leader long to realize that some staff
members are lonely people. Even if they have significant others in their
lives, they need someone to listen to them nonjudgmentally. The chairper-
son or principal needs to take the time to listen and be a sounding board.
Sometimes, this school leader might refer them to others for help (school
guidance counselors sometimes help staff members as well as students),
but most of the time he will just listen and validate their feelings.
It will not be unusual for a staff member to end such a session by say-
ing, “I’m glad I was able to talk with you today,” even though the school
leader had just nodded his head and hummed periodically. Of course, the
person was really saying, “Thank you for listening. I had no one else I felt
I could talk to about this.” If the teacher leaves feeling better, the adminis-
trator’s time was well spent, even if he was unable to finish that report or
observe that class. The teacher will perform better because the leader was
there for him. So much of what school leaders do is improving the ambi-
ence of the school and much of this is accomplished through listening.
Sometimes listening is not enough—and you may not know this
until it is too late. Late one day, one of the most dedicated teachers in
the school came to see Ms. Nguyen, an elementary school principal in
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