Week 2 Discussion - Being Forewarned

In chapter six of our textbook, we are given a list of ten common mistakes made by new administrators. It would be jaded to believe that we won’t make any mistakes throughout our internship experience and in our first several years as an administrator. While there are several that I want to keep in mind throughout this process, the three mistakes listed that I am choosing to focus on in the first few weeks of my internship are ensuring that I am notifying my supervisor, practicing effective internal communication, and ensuring I do not lack balance in my life.  I chose these specifically because I know my principal is great at providing us with autonomy in all aspects of our job. The same will be true for my internship experience. I need to be sure that while I appreciate the autonomy, I am not forgetting to notify my principal when needed. Additionally, as I am a new “member” of the administrative team, I need to make sure I am communicating effectively will every other member of the team. This is not a comfortable position for me since they have been my superiors for so long. While this is still true to a certain extent, I need to begin to be more comfortable communicating with them when needed. Finally, with so much on my plate and considering myself to be an overachiever, I could absolutely see myself losing my work-life balance. This is something that took my several years to master when I began teaching and I assume the transition to the administrative team would be similar. 

 I think that by keeping these common mistakes in mind from the beginning of the internship, I will be less likely to fall victim to them since I am focusing on them more. I consider myself to be proactive rather than reactive and knowing these possible mistakes ahead of time will help me avoid them if at all possible. I know I will not be perfect, and I don’t expect perfection from myself, but I do hope to avoid easily avoidable mistakes throughout the process.