Role Reversal: From Principal to Parent

Today was my daughter’s first day of preschool. We have been collecting supplies for months, making sure all the documents are in order, and attending all the parent meetings and supply drop offs. Since the beginning I’ve been saying how bizarre it is to attend school functions that I’m not running (quite a freeing feeling, to be honest). But, today was a whole new feeling.

To say that after today I have a different perspective on the process of sending kids to school would be an understatement.

I’ve started 12 “starts of school” at this point, each one of them from the perspective of an educator. While I think we do a great job at it, I’m honestly excited to have the parent perspective to compare my actions against.

I find myself asking these questions regularly:

What would I want as a parent? What have I hoped my daughters school would do or say? What made the experience better for my daughter?

Granted, there is quite a variance between the age of my daughter and the students with which I work. But, many of the tenets of what parents need/want and what students need/want stay consistent – just with a different implementation that’s age appropriate.

Long story short, my role reversal from principal to parent this year is something I’m excited about. I truly believe it will benefit both my roles and make me a better dad and a better principal. Stay tuned!