esponsibilities, and mutual concerns.
The principal articulates the values of the school, supporting the teachers in their professional growth and daily work. According to Fullan and Hargreaves, the principal is important in "communicating what you value, expressing yourself through your leadership" (88). Sometimes, especially in the early stages of a new principal's position, such expression can best be done through example and action. It can take some time for teachers to learn who another person is and how the principal will adapt to the prevailing school culture (Fullan and Hargreaves, 88).
Schools are theoretically democracies, and at the same time, the teachers need to know what the principal believes in order to situate themselves within the school organization. The principal may have a personal and professional vision, but it is wise to not exert too much pressure on teachers in favor of personal pet projects or programs. It is always in order to celebrate student and teacher achievements, expressing appreciation to staff with personal thank you notes, and revealing oneself to a certain extent, not appearing to be invincible (Fullan and Hargreaves, 89). What the principal does and says is important because it sets the tone for the organization. Each action is noticed. Principals sometimes have to become politically aggressive in clearing out the negative elements in the staff, factions that are counterproductive in rationally running a school. Shouse, Ford, Kleine-Kracht, and Ryan report this type of guerilla warfare type of principalship in their account of a principal who had to gather teacher support and counter the opposing factions in a calculated, political way in order for the school to get back to the business of educating the students (27). The first step was to take a tube out of the television in the teacher's lounge.
The effective principal knows how to astutely assess a situation, take stock, and ...