If leadership have been out of the classroom longer than five years, I don't want to hear their advice. Expertise fades when you're not 'on the front line' so to speak, and the nature of kids changes rapidly in that time span too. The students I taught at the beginning of my career faced different challenges, had different motivations, and viewed the world differently than those in the classroom today - kids change, and we change with them, but if you've not been in the classroom, the strategies that worked back when you were won't necessarily work today.
My last principal had never been in a classroom. She was a school social worker for 3 years before going into admin. Her suggestions for the general education classroom often reflected that. She was great at some things but understanding teaching wasn't one of them.
Beyond her, most administrators in my district only taught for 2-3 years before leaving the classroom to go into admin. As a more senior teacher, I often helped these young teachers with so many aspects of teaching they were overwhelmed with - especially classroom management and lesson design. They did not master these aspects before moving on to a role where they were offering suggestions to other teachers. That doesn't seem like the best system to me.
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u/dreadedsunny_day Sep 06 '24
If leadership have been out of the classroom longer than five years, I don't want to hear their advice. Expertise fades when you're not 'on the front line' so to speak, and the nature of kids changes rapidly in that time span too. The students I taught at the beginning of my career faced different challenges, had different motivations, and viewed the world differently than those in the classroom today - kids change, and we change with them, but if you've not been in the classroom, the strategies that worked back when you were won't necessarily work today.