From the President: Celebrate the Noble Profession of the Principal
By Dave Feenstra
MASSP President
This quote from Teddy Roosevelt really communicates what it takes as secondary principals meet educational challenges of the 21st Century for every student.
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Teddy Roosevelt
One of the pillars of MASSP’s mission is advocacy for the noble profession of the principalship. Now more than ever, principals need to encourage, guide, and advocate for our fellow principals. With the advent of school choice, the level of competition between schools has never been more intense and the performance standards for college and work readiness have never been higher.
Collectively, we need to do a better job promoting the noble profession of the principalship at the secondary level. We need to ensure that beginning administrators, and especially our assistant principals are participating in ongoing leadership programs such as the MASSP Principal Boot Camp. This comprehensive program will equip the best and brightest administrators and teachers for careers in educational administration where they will positively impact students, teachers, and communities.
And now is the time for us to step back and honor those in our profession who do outstanding work day in and day out. The MASSP Principal of the Year program is looking for nominees. There are so many principals across our state who deserve this award. We just need to encourage each other to do the paperwork. The application has been revamped to reflect the NASSP application and will not take too much time to complete. Applications are due June 30th. Let’s celebrate the principalship by nominating our talented principals.
As you know being a principal is more than just a job. It is a way of life for an individual that is challenging physically and mentally, demanding, unending, irritating, frustrating, painful, consuming, and overwhelming. It is also one of the most fulfilling and rewarding lifestyles a person can have.
As I end my year of service as your MASSP President, I have to express my appreciation to those who have mentored and inspired me to pursue this noble profession. I continue to admire the leadership skills and passion of principals throughout our great state for continuing to be innovative and forward-thinking as we address the needs of every student, every day.
