Do you have the desire to move into an administrative position? Are you aware of the steps you need to take in order to make this a reality? Do you know how to find a mentor to help guide you in the right direction? Have you built an effective portfolio to highlight your strengths and current practices? Do you have a clear vision and philosophy of how you would represent and carry yourself as an administrator? If you are looking for more information and guidance with these questions, and the many other questions that we ask as aspiring administrators, then this blog might be exactly what you are looking for.

As a young administrator, currently in my third year as an assistant principal, I still remember all of the questions that I had as an aspiring administrator. I wondered if I had what it took to be a principal and tried to figure out exactly how to get started on that journey. I remember very clearly when an elementary principal position opened up, during my fifth year of teaching, at a previous international school in Quito, Ecuador. I knew that I was interested, and I spoke with some of my colleagues about the possibility, but I was also aware that I was nowhere near ready for the challenge. It was seven years later, after conversations with multiple mentors and obtaining a higher degree in educational leadership (among many other steps), that I found myself in a position to confidently apply for and be offered an administrative role.

Whether you are a classroom teacher, instructional coach, grade level coordinator, or teacher leader, there are very practical steps that you can take to move forward and enhance your role and position in today’s schools. Schools around the world need dedicated, talented educators that are willing and able to step into administrative roles and lead. If you have the capacity to lead change and support a positive school culture, then now is the time to begin your journey of becoming an inspirational and effective school administrator.

So, what’s the first step?

Tell others about your desires and ambitions! Most importantly, let your current administrators (and past administrators) know that you would like to move into an administrative role one day. Furthermore, expand your professional network to other like-minded people and start reading books, articles, and blogs on current topics and best practices. Your colleagues, and other educators, will be there to support you and encourage you along the way if they know of your future goals. Hopefully you will be able to take this a step further and find a mentor that can support you. A mentor should be able to give you guidance, as well as start providing different opportunities for you to take on leadership roles and responsibilities within your current school. Hopefully you are able to find a mentor that takes this Michael Fullan quote to heart:

“The main mark of a school principal at the end of his or her tenure is not just that individual’s impact on student achievement, but rather how many leaders are left behind who can go even further.”

Go ahead, take that first step…