No Office Day

Last week the principal and two vice-principals at my school decided to participate in 'No Office Day'. The idea behind the day is that administrators decide to spend the day in classrooms rather than in their offices. Our administrative team modified the day a little so that they could each spend a period in some classes. I was really excited to see this happening. I think that too often administrators get caught up in the paperwork, emails and dealing with the problem students and as a result don't have the time to see some of the great things going on around the school.

It was great to see the principals in a classroom chatting with students, asking questions about the work or life in general. It allowed the students to see that the principals are more than just school figure heads. It showed that they cared about the work in the classroom. It reminded me of Angela Maiers' TED Talk titled You Matter. By spending some time in the classroom the principals showed that all students mattered to them.

At the end of the day I thanked each of the principals for stopping by and informed them that the students really enjoyed the visit. All three of them said that they enjoyed the day and were keen to do it again. I hope it becomes part of their regular routine.