Merritt- Supervision Philosophy

When reflecting about my philosophy on supervision, I cannot

help but remember the mentors, principals, and other educational
professionals that have shaped my years in education. It is easy to see
the positive aspects I want to hold on to, but more vividly I see the
negative interactions that I hope to never replicate in a position of
supervision. I have recently been given the opportunity to serve my
school as the assistant principal and as I embarked upon this journey,
many of the words of Theodore Roosevelt resonated with me and
provided me a simple foundation on which to base my supervision
philosophy.
My entire philosophy on supervision, both in the classroom and
now as a leader, can be very simply summed up by the idea of our
former President that, No one cares how much you know, until they
know how much you care (GoodReads, 2015). I believe that part of
being a good leader is truly caring about those who are in your
management. As a teacher, it is easy to see how much more children
will respond to you, work for you, and give their best for you when they
know you are on their team and want the best for them. This same
relationship should also be used in leading adults.
Matthews and Crow (2010) wrap trust into four parts: integrity,
competence, respect, and concern for others. A leader must have the
ethical grounds to do what is right even when the situation is difficult.
He or she must be knowledgeable in the instructional and financial

Merritt- Supervision Philosophy

aspects of a school. When attempting to introduce change or confront
a situation, it must be done in a respectful way. Teachers are some of
the hardest working people and they need to know that while they care
so deeply for their students and love their profession, that someone is
concerned with their wellbeing.
I had what I thought was a meaningful conversation with my
previous administrator to try to help us come to an understanding and
she abruptly ended it with a cold stare and the words do you feel
better, and in that moment, my entire opinion of her and my outlook
on the year changed. Her lack of compassion was all it took for me to
lose trust and respect for her, and ultimately leaving me to believe she
was not competent to do the job. On a more positive note, I was
blessed with an amazing mentor when I was completing my student
teaching and through my first three years of working, and her ability to
celebrate with me when there were those small victories and lend a
listening ear when I had a terrible day were the connection I needed to
know that I could do this job, even through the toughest times. I hope
to always remember both these situations and do my best to show my
staff concern and respect.
When one is not comfortable talking to a leader, it puts up
barriers for communication, and ultimately will lead to conflict. I
believe that establishing a good relationship with those within the
workplace will lend itself to more open communication, more

Merritt- Supervision Philosophy

motivation to work, and an easier conversation when things are
difficult. The latter is so important because part of a good supervisor is
to provide feedback, and constructive criticism is much easier to take
from a friend than from a stranger. Teachers often, despite their
respect of the evaluation instrument itself, feel anxiety about
evaluations, take them personally rather than professionally, and
cause both teachers and administrators to avoid difficult conversations
(Marshall, 2005). Having a good rapport with teachers and a mutual
level of respect will lend to more honest, and beneficial conversations
that can lead to growth.
The two years leading up to my current role as an administrator
were two of the hardest years in education, even though I was
teaching in a wonderful school in my ideal classroom. The problem was
the administration- our third principal in 4 years and the change came
abruptly, and this administrator where she lacked in friendliness and
concern, she made up with micro-management and harsh criticism.
Roosevelt put it into perspective when he said, The best executive is
the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants
done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do
it (GoodReads, 2015). Freedom and trust go hand in hand and
teachers can begin to trust the administrators when they are given
opportunities to make decisions and receive honest and respectful
feedback, while administrators find they are able to trust their staff

Merritt- Supervision Philosophy

when, given the freedom to make decisions and interact, they do so in
the best interest of the students and the wellbeing of the school
(Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon, 2013). Lack of support, feelings of
unimportance, and the need for guidance are some of the most
prominent reasons teachers leave the profession, especially early in
their careers (Headden, 2014).
As a new administrator I can see there are many facets of our
school functions that would be so easy to just sit behind closed doors
and plan out and tell the staff to implement. However, my way or the
principals way does not always mean the best way. Even the most
seasoned administrator with years of varied experience has not
become an expert in every grade level or subject within a school, nor
has he the expert knowledge of every instructional program or need in
the school. Leading teachers and encouraging them to collaborate on
decision making and creating an environment that fosters reflection
will allow teachers to grow as professionals and will result in student
achievement (Glickman, et al., 2013).
A good leader should have a solid understanding of the
curriculum and instructional needs of a school, but allow teachers to
implement the standards to fit the ever-changing needs of their
classrooms. A good leader, in my opinion, should be able to set
guidelines but trust that they will be followed. A good leader should
have expectations, but encourage others to rise to meet them. And,

Merritt- Supervision Philosophy

when it is a leaders job to evaluate, it should be done with a balance
of positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. As I continue to
grow in conducting teacher evaluations, I hope that I am able to
provide this balance and offer support to teachers to help them
become the best they can be.
Marshall (2005) points out that despite required observations,
there is often little instructional or beneficial conversation between
administrators and teachers. I applied advice from the video segment
Evaluation for Teacher and Student Growth: Post Conference (School
Improvement Network, 2007) in which it was suggested to fill out the
formal evaluation after the post conference. While observing
classrooms, I took notes and afterwards during a post-conference I
talked to each teacher about what I saw, what the end results were, or
even what I didnt see prior to my arrival. The feedback I heard was
that teachers appreciated the chance to talk about their class and that
it made the process more enjoyable and constructive. This is a practice
I plan to continue because it not only helps me better understand what
is happening in the classroom, I am better able to see how reflective a
teacher is, find areas of concern, and simply continue to foster that
relationship.
As I continue to grow as an administrator I know that I will need
to look to my own supervisors for the advice and guidance that I will
need to become the best that I can be. I hold dear to one more quote,

Merritt- Supervision Philosophy

but this time from my supervisor, my principal Mr. Jared Worthington,
who told me, your job as an AP is to remember what it was like to be
a teacher, and my job as a principal is to remember what it was like to
be an assistant principal. This profound statement says it all;
regardless of where you go, especially in a supervisory role, you should
never forget where you came from.

References
Glickman, Carl D., Gordon, Stephen P., and Ross-Gordon, Jovita M. The
basic guide to

supervision and instructional leadership (3rd

ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson.

Merritt- Supervision Philosophy

GoodReads Inc. (2015). Theodore Roosevelt quotes. Retrieved from
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/44567.Theodore_Roosevelt
Headden, Susan (2014). Beginners in the classroom: What the
changing

demographics of teacher mean for schools, students, and

society. Retrieved

from http://cdn.carnegiefoundation.org/wp-

content/uploads/2014/09/

beginners_in_classroom.pdf.

Marshall, Kim (2003). Its time to rethink teacher supervision and

evaluation. Phi

Delta Kappan, 86(10), 727-735.

Matthews, Joseph L., and Crow, Gary M. (2009). The principalship: New
roles in a

professional learning community. Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Pearson.

School Improvement Network (2007). Post conference [segment 6].
Evaluation for

teacher and student growth. Retrieved from

https://appserv02.uncw.edu/ tealvision/player.aspx?VID=naoJXFxSK6w
%3d.