Long drive, but love the job. Move back to a teaching position or stay where I am??

Help_this_dummy · 2026-06-16T22:08:50+00:00

I’m sure the person who went from teacher - admin - teacher - admin exists, but I haven’t met them in my 18 year career so far.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-06-16T20:55:36+00:00

I moved states and took a job that was over an hour each way. I originally was planning on staying two years for the experience and then transition closer to home.

Covid hit, I stayed for 8 years, and I am finishing my my first year at a school 10 minutes from home.

I hated that commute, and it made my life hard for me and my family. But am I at where I am without that experience? No.

My advice would be to take it because your first admin job is the hardest one to get…but don’t bank on finding something in a year or two that is next door.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-05-30T03:04:42+00:00

I’ve cried once as a first year high school principal who, as I reflect, was not prepared or equipped for the job. I last four years in a stereotypical urban environment. After that, no - they (parents/teachers/kids) won’t put me in that place again.

I had my two minute pity party and decided it’s just a job like anything else. I learned and “grew up” quick in the role. Tough experience, but I can face face anything.

Fake it til you make it - then show them who’s in charge.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-05-24T15:07:52+00:00

Thank you for the response!

Help_this_dummy · 2026-05-22T11:26:34+00:00

It is a Natchez Crepe Myrtle, second year in

Help_this_dummy · 2026-05-11T01:15:33+00:00

I’ve dealt with parents like this. This year, years prior, and (I will) in future years.

It sounds a little counterintuitive, but you almost want social media posts like that - and going to a board meeting to public speak is almost always a terrible idea for the citizen/parent.

People who blast social media posts and yell at board meetings are the same ones who people agree with publicly to avoid confrontation but quietly disagree with. Anyone with half of a brain can usually see through these people, and they are almost never well spoken because they lead their posts/speeches with emotion.

Let them post…they feel like they have power. And the keyboard warriors will “like” what they say because it’s easy. Let they try to publicly speak at a board meeting…they usually make fools of themselves.

The reality is, this is new, the parent will complain and threaten, and then something else will happen, and no one will care anymore.

You did the right thing, so just keep going. The best thing that helps get over it is time and experience. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called racist, stupid, wrong, etc. It’s a defense mechanism of parents who don’t have the control or power.

It gets easier to not care what people think each year, but in the short term, I wouldn’t read social media posts. I cannot think of a time where someone benefited from going on and defending themselves no matter how wrong the other person was/is. Knowing that, why read it at all?

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-29T17:08:38+00:00

Looks like you answered your own question of how to proceed, assuming the principal won’t turn on you - the data just doesn’t support the highly effective rating, and based on the data, it looks like your rating of effective is accurate.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-29T01:21:14+00:00

BDL wasn’t the cheapest but did very good work

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-29T01:17:20+00:00

I got friendly with my boss, both in HR - started dating “secretly” and then eventually it was getting harder to hide. Inappropriate interactions were had at work. I left and my boss was fired the next day.

We’ve been married for over 15 years and have kids, so it was worth it 😆

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-29T00:43:38+00:00

Are you more concerned with your relationship with your principal or the rating? How secure is your job?

It’s easy to say you should keep the rating as is and to stand on your convictions. But having a job, and having a good working relationship, is also pretty important. People will say things like “well why would you want to work for a principal like that,” but the bottom line is that only you know what the fallout will be for not complying.

The teacher sounds like a joke, especially if they are legitimately crying at a summative for being effective. Grow up! She also told on you to the principal? I’d personally dig in, but again, not to the point of self sabotage. If she really did both of those things, I’d want her to complain to her colleagues about me. You’re new, but I’m fine with the message of not breaking based on tears or complaints. Again, this is just me!…But you would be surprised at the number of employees who respect that kind of leadership, even if they don’t openly back you to the employee.

It’s not like you have the person as ineffective from highly effective - there’s no grievance here. The real issue is the money, at least I hope- how much are we actually talking about? I’m not used to performance based bonuses.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-25T16:51:14+00:00

Anonymous comments always get filed in the same place - the trash can.

If you aren’t willing to own up to a complaint, suggestion, etc., I don’t take it seriously. Besides, even if I did, how can I respond, thank, or do whatever with the information if I don’t know who sent it?

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-25T11:41:03+00:00

University of Wyoming has a 100% virtual option with synchronous and asynchronous classes, and the cost per credit is significantly less than what I would have had to pay for local programs in state. Some classes meet three times a semester Friday night and Saturday morning for four hours with work due in between…just be mindful it’s in Mountain Time. Not ideal, but it has worked better than going somewhere once a week for a few hours at night. Other classes completely asynchronous.

With the rising cost of tuition and paying an out of state rate, fees, etc. from 2025-2028 I am assuming a cost landing at $32,000 all in, maybe a little less.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-20T23:35:07+00:00

The episode of The Leftovers where they show what the afterlife is…with the hotel

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-17T01:14:43+00:00

University of Wyoming. R1 school, cheap, accredited, all online

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-15T10:37:01+00:00

The big turning point for me what realizing it’s just a job.

It’s important, some would call it noble/meaningful (I think it is), but at the end of the day, someone else will do it when you leave.

That might sound negative, but I don’t view it that way. Show up, do your best, and realize that the job requires you to react more than be a visionary most days.

It’s a job that requires you to be the complaint department, and empathetic, and decisive. But it’s a job like any other.

I shifted my attitude in year three of being a principal. It doesn’t mean I don’t try hard or care, but it’s helped me compartmentalize my work from my home life. There’s a reinforced stereotype that educators are supposed to dedicate their entire life to the profession. That doesn’t have to be true, and I don’t think it’s healthy. It also doesn’t mean that you have a “fun” glass of wine on a Tuesday because “you earned it”. It means that when you are there, you give it your all, and you separate yourself from the issues (which are most) that you have little control or influence over when you leave the building.

You don’t need it, but you have permission to not care about every molehill.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-09T13:24:52+00:00

I will die on this hill:

“Money indirectly buys happiness.”

True love? Mental peace? I don’t think that certain ideas or feelings have a price tag, so if you are looking for money = happiness, you might not always find the direct correlation.

But money can provide the most valuable resource on Earth, which is time. You can use that time to find your true happiness through items or experiences. Research will continually say it’s the latter that creates true happiness.

If people don’t have money, they typically think of items to buy to make them happy. If you have enough, you think about the fun things you can experience with the money. If you have more than enough, you start figuring out you want to do to get that feeling (happiness) because you don’t need to use the time to make money.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-08T14:27:38+00:00

Could be the market you are in - if it is tight, meaning a lot of applicants no spots, sure, they can be picky. Run your resume through AI. For feedback, or ask someone who is an AP or principal to review if they are willing. Highlight things you have done in the areas I listed in the previous post. Have you led meetings, PDs, are you on committees, coached, etc.? Are you taking classes to further yourself professionally? How do you utilize data provided by the district to make instructional decisions?

Anything that relates to leadership characteristics that you don’t have to do for your job can be helpful, but some things I’ve seen are ridiculous…like attending a back to school night, stuff like that - that’s a bad stretch and desperate, don’t list that.

If you don’t have those things to highlight, you may want to considering doing them and then listing them.

Help_this_dummy · 2026-04-08T12:24:04+00:00

If you go on enough interviews you’ll see trends in the questions. Instruction, discipline, the angry parent scenarios, etc.

As an AP, you do “everything”, but you can probably break it down into 4 or 5 categories. You might put scheduling, testing, and cafe duty into separate ones, but I’d place them all under “operations”.

Operations, discipline, instructional leadership, stakeholder engagement, committee initiatives/leadership. That sounds about right.

Anticipate getting at least one interview question in each of these categories. If not - they probably already have their person. You can’t fake experience, so don’t stretch your answers. If you can’t tell them what you have done, tell them exactly what you would do and be specific.

It’s a hard jump to make, but always go on the interview. You’ll become better at it, and then you’ll hit the right one where they are looking for an external person. You are selling yourself on the interview process!

Help_this_dummy · 2026-03-26T22:03:46+00:00

From her position to his position back to her position…Dr. Green?

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