Nov 01 2007
Do I take the next step?
I was reading Scott McLeod this morning…Yes, morning – it was very odd – and saw this post about Kim Moritz the blogging principal that we’ve all heard about. While I didn’t really read Kim’s blog, I knew about and checked it from time to time as those in my aggregator referenced her. It’s not that what Kim was saying wasn’t important, I just have enough reading trying to keep up with the edtech folks that I’m trying to read. Anyway, Kim’s latest post http://ghsprincipal.edublogs.org/2007/10/26/g-town-stops-talking/ references something that I am struggling with myself.
It is inevitable, that our professional goals sometimes take us to new positions. Kim has gone from principal to assistant superintendent. In her post she talks about having been a good principal and loving her job. She is taking a break from blogging because she doesn’t yet see the place for it in her new position.
The idea of leaving a job you love to follow your professional goal is something that I am struggling with right now. I know that I am having a rough patch right now, but generally speaking – I love my job. My teachers know it, my boss knows it, and the other TRTs in the division know it. But I am finishing a doctoral program in educational leadership. I went into the program for principal certification. Logically, when the dissertation is done, I should be moving on.
I just stumbled on this great job before I could finish. When I applied, I thought this job was meant for me. Who looks for someone with elementary language arts background in a technology field? Language arts folks that I’ve known have always been a little tech shy. Even I just dabbled before I got the position. I just happened to have the right combination of education. Undergrad in computer programming and grad in reading – I used to say this job is a combination of my two great loves.
The question remains – should I move on? Or will I find that I’ve moved on from something that I was really good at like Kim?
One response so far
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I’m probably the last person who should respond since I so clearly have no idea what I’m doing. But I’m compelled to write because you’re at the place I was at last Spring. My best advice would be to do what my mom always said, make a list of pros and cons. Where I went wrong was in making my list about the exterior factors, salary, position, drive time, location, etc. I should have really analyzed what I did, day to day, that I enjoyed/disliked the most. Then I could have determined if the things I enjoyed most existed in the new position. My interaction with kids would have been at the top of the list x’s ten. I now know that carried even more weight than I realized. If a new position offers what’s most important to you, go for it. But don’t go for it just because you know you can do it, go for it because you know you’ll love doing it. And we need more good principals!