Summary: <br> One year ago, June 4, 2020, D.J. Klein was a guest on the Principal Matters podcast when we shared advice for his first year as a school administrator. You can hear the <a href="https://williamdparker.com/2020/06/04/pmp197-10-tips-for-new-assistant-principals/">10 Tips for First Year Assistant Principals we discussed by listening to PMP:197</a>. <br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://williamdparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PMP253.jpg"></a><br> <br> <br> <br> One year later, D.J. Klein has finished his first year as Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Terry High School, south of Jackson, Mississippi. As the 2020-2021 school year has ended for D.J., we reconnected to reflect on lessons he learned from his first year in the role of school administrator. Below is a summary of 10 new lessons D.J. generously shared:<br> <br> <br> <br> 10 Lessons I’e Learned in my First Year as Assistant Principal by D.J. Klein:<br> <br> <br> <br> 1) “Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Know your leadership style, natural strengths, and areas in which you can grow. Although it may seem elementary, having a strong sense of self-awareness of who you are will pay dividends as you develop relationships with more stakeholders than ever before. Take the time to take several personality tests (such as the one on 16personalities.com that is based on the Myers-Briggs theory) and speak to those who have worked close to you for a long time.”<br> <br> <br> <br> 2) “Be visible and accessible. While I was a teacher, my former superintendent once offered me this piece of advice as I prepared to enter the principalship: ‘If I come to visit your school and you are in your office, you better have a good reason for being in there.’ Being visible and accessible as a school leader to your teachers, students, and support staff throughout the day may sound simple, but it is essential. Although meetings, student discipline, and other matters will require your time, it is important to see and be seen.”<br> <br> <br> <br> 3) “Know available resources that benefit students. Learn all you can about the resources that are available in the community and allocate those resources to your students’ benefit. Although I am only a year into it, I am continuing to discover new resources that can be utilized to the benefit of our teachers and students.”<br> <br> <br> <br> 4) “Develop a routine and stick to it to the best of your ability. I learned very fast that there is really no such thing as a “normal” day for an assistant principal. Some days are very fast paced with many things on your daily agenda that need to be addressed. On the contrary, there will be some days when you are wondering why the day is going by as slow as it feels. Despite this, have a designated time frame set apart to complete specific tasks that require your attention: teacher observations, e-mails, returning phone calls from parents, etc.”<br> <br> <br> <br> 5) “Prepare for the unexpected. To piggyback on the last point: In the book ‘Extreme Ownership,‘ Navy Seals Jocko Willink and Leif Babin introduce the four laws of combat. After going through the school year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve learned to prepare for the unexpected. Even if you take the pandemic aside, I am sure this is a rule of thumb that veteran principals will stand by. On the days that one is facing a large number of unforeseen circumstances (whether severe or minor), it is important to follow the third law of combat: ‘Prioritize and Execute.’ Prioritize the most urgent tasks and execute the means of getting these tasks knocked out.”<br> <br> <br> <br> 6) “Share your leadership with others. With the number of clubs, sporting events, extra-curricular activities, etc that are available on the secondary level,
