How school principals can build closer relationships with students
The school principal is one of those people that live in infamy throughout some people’s lives. People tell tales for years about the time they were sent to the “principals office” and what was done to them once they arrived. Usually it is not described as a particularly pleasant experience. This puts the principal in a position where they are always fighting a historical reputation of being the “hammer” that falls on the disobedient student. Still, there is no reason why the principal cannot be liked or respected by the students, and sometimes they are in certain situations. Therefore, here are a few thoughts on how to the school principal can build closer relationships with students.
Involvement
One way for the school principal to build closer relationships with students is to be involved in the educational process somehow. Perhaps they do not have the time to teach a class or coach a team, but they may have enough time to advise a club, meet with certain student groups, or attend student events. If they were to do something like be an adviser for a club, they might not impact a huge number of students but they could impact enough that a reputation would spread to other student groups. Over time, the principal could move around and connect with various student groups in order to build relationships with more people.
Public activity
Another way to build relationships with students is to attend certain activities. These could include sporting events, concerts, and plays on campus. Again, the students may not be thrilled to see the principal walking around, and if an incident occurred during the event, the principal could not ignore it. However, attendance may signal support to the students and over time they may start to appreciate the presence of the principal.
Going for a stroll
Finally, the principal may start or build relationships by walking around campus on occasion in an unhurried manner. Too often, the students may not even know who the principal is, particularly if he or she is in the office all day long. Or, they may only see the principal striding from meeting to meeting with a stack of papers in their hand and a sour look on their face. In order for relationships to be built, the students have to see the principal as a person, so that they can hopefully see beyond the title and accept that the principal may actually be worth knowing.
Ultimately, the school principal must accept the responsibilities of their position. Everyone desires to be liked on some level but people still do have to do their jobs. The principal can attempt to build relationships with students, but they must also run the operations of the school. If interpersonal connections are not made, the principal cannot sacrifice what is best for the institution just so a few students will like them a bit more. Therefore, relationships with the students should be pursued, but not at the cost of everything else.
Todd Pheifer
