You're almost a dictator. A benevolent dictator. But a dictator nonetheless.

Ah, it's good to be king—er, principal—it's good to be principal. 

You're the leader of leaders—in charge of faculty, staff, and students. 

What you say goes. Now (before you get too big of a head), it's important to remember that you only rule the school. You're not in charge of the kingdom. That job belongs to the superintendent. But as principal, you're still in a fairly powerful position.

Getting There

Most high school administrators don't become administrators right off the bat. Prior to walking down "A" street (Administration Street), most principals work as teachers. They've completed a bachelor's degree, obtained a teaching credential, and endured years in the classroom dealing with rowdy and rambunctious students. If you're still set on running a school, you'll be looking at some additional schooling. A graduate degree in education is likely in your future, as well as an administrative credential. It also couldn't hurt to have a little business savvy, as well. 

While we're at it, some solid people skills will surely come in handy. You'll be dealing with frustrated people and their problems all day. On the plus side, you do have the potential to be making close to six figures on average. And you could easily make more than $100k by working at a wealthy private school, hosting talks at educator conferences, or writing about your experience in education and administration...you'll just have to deal with screaming kids throughout most of it. If you're looking for a nice, quiet managerial role, this is not the job for you. You'd be much better off selling air-conditioners in Alaska.

You're There. Now What?

As principal you'll be monitoring the progress and effectiveness of your teaching staff, and you'll be responsible for the progress of your students. You'll have to examine trends in students' grades and test scores in things like reading and math. You'll have to report the progress (called benchmarking) to the superintendent. If your students aren't improving, or if your school is falling behind other schools in your district, you are in big trouble—big, big trouble. It'll be worse than having to go the principal's office for shaking up your teacher's soda bottle. You don't even get to laugh at a soda-soaked Mrs. Murbles. 

Einstein's mother, Pauline Koch, gloating over the fact that her son is smarter than you or your children ever will be.

The school's reputation and funding are directly tied into the students' performance (read: test scores). Which is why when it comes time to take those state standardized tests, the entire school—which previously might have been focusing on sending crane butterflies on a journey to the Atlantic—is now in a mad frenzy to make sure each student comes out with a score Einstein's mother would be proud of. 

If the test scores are low, the school doesn't get its funding. Also the parents get mad—as in why am I paying high taxes to live here and send my kid to school if Little Johnny, Jerry, or Joaquin can't read well enough to get into Harvard? This—in turn—makes realtors mad. If the schools in a district stink, then parents won't move there. Housing prices will then go down, and everyone gets bummed and starts talking about moving closer to that really great charter school.

Budgeting

You're in charge of this, and it's no easy task. When those computers start breaking down, you'll need to get creative. It's tough when everyone's clamoring for the best new gadgets and your school has been relying on 10-year-old iMacs that were donated years ago. Good luck trying to convince the Big Cheese (a.k.a. the Superintendent) to give you more money.

Ins and Outs

You're at school all of the time. Your workday begins way before you enter the school doors and ends way past many of your students' bedtimes. With meetings, conferences, fundraising events, and pow wows with your fellow administrative brethren, you won't have much free time. If you're lucky, you may get a few weeks off in the summer to let your hair down (unless, of course, you have to deal with summer school). You'll be doing the heavy duty lifting when it comes to big disciplinary issues. At the elementary school level, you're in charge of all matters, big and small. That includes teasing, misbehaving, bullying, and fighting. 

As the kids get older and the demands on your job grow even more complex, you'll have some helping hands. In middle school and high school, you'll typically have assistant principals (or VPs) to help you with doling out smaller punishments. However, if someone does something bad enough to get suspended or expelled, you're the one who will give the banishment orders to send the kid off the island. 

Yes, the assistant principal is there to help you, but make no mistake, you're the big man or woman. It's still your job. Whether you're the principal at a suburban school or headmaster at a private prep school, you have to deal with cheating, fighting, and binder hurling cheerleaders. Not to mention the Ferris Buellers of the world, who just want to have fun and try to ditch class every chance they get. Oh and the parents. They may end up causing the most trouble.

The Final Bell

The principal sets the tone for their school. If you're a tough cookie—to your teaching staff and your students—it will be reflected in the school's culture. If you're a granola cruncher and want to be everyone's buddy, you'd better have a tough VP backing you up or the whole place could crumble. You'll be walking the tightrope every day between pleasing the head honchos in the district, managing your budget, and meeting the needs of your students, faculty, and staff. There's a lot of opportunity to fall off. 

Remember when we mentioned that thing about business acumen and people skills? Here's where it comes in handy. You'll have to communicate with your minions constantly: walking the halls, popping into classrooms, and checking up on everyone like a watchful parent. Many principals keep in touch with parents with a periodic phone call and email blast. They do this to sum up recent events or give them the heads up for things like a chicken pox outbreak. 

As you may have guessed, you should also be a bit of a ham. Some principals use the opportunity to announce things like snow days by making viral videos. If you're good at your job, you'll be loved and revered by your students and your faculty. That's about as good as things get—that and, of course, being promoted to superintendent. And ruling with an iron...pencil?

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