Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/i-was-such-a-fabulous-teacher-what-happened/5015453/
It made perfect sense to the Board and to me. After I had been teaching in the four-year-old classroom for eight years, our director retired. I was the best possible replacement. I knew the center. I was organized. I was the most experienced teacher on staff. I knew what kids needed and I had taken the administrator’s course. I was qualified. So, I took the job.Six months later, I felt completely overwhelmed, three staff members had walked out, nothing was like I thought it would be. No one listened to me. Even some parents were angry with me. Didn’t they know how hard I was working?
What happened was this director assumed that being a good teacher prepared her for being a good director. Another assumption was that becoming a director is the next logical step on a teacher’s career ladder. While there are some teaching skills that transition well into the role of the director, teaching and directing are two different career tracks.
It’s common, not only in early childhood but in other industries as well, to assume that having done the “job” prepares you to lead others. If you’re a new director, considering becoming a director, or if you ...