Part of me has always struggled with coworkers. I am almost always the youngest on staff (or one of the youngest) and I have a hard time relating myself as an equal to those who are old enough to be my parents. I also have a hard time relating to my principals and those in administration. As much as I would like to be "friends" with those I work with, those in administration are the ones who sign the dotted line that allows me to have a job the following year. For this reason alone, I will always be guarded when speaking to them.
I have worked in schools that had a traditional principal and one that had more of a head teacher. I felt more comfortable with this setup because that "head teacher" was still teaching daily. I was also confident they were an amazing teacher and I did my best to learn from her everyday.
After reading "He's the Weird Teacher" I started wondering if I have been thinking about this all wrong.
Is it possible to be "friends" with your principal/administration? Is it necessary? Should we think of principals as former teachers or is it a whole different position and therefore we should not relate as peers? Is it like relating to upperclassman when you are a freshman or relating to college students (who you are not peers with)?
At the end of the day, the principal is the one who evaluates me and signs my contract, so I have a hard time considering myself a peer. Maybe this feeling will change after I am in the classroom longer.
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