Teacher Placement Planning

As Principal of Antelope Elementary School, I would look both internally and externally to fill the teacher vacancies at my school. As I evaluated each grade level, I noted the strengths, weaknesses, and the qualities of the teachers I am looking for. I would also strategically move teachers to other positions because their strengths are needed in other areas. Therefore, for kindergarten through third grade, I would hire an outside applicant because neither my current school nor Antelope’s teachers have the qualifications that I would be looking for. I need someone who is technology suave, collaborates and has a positive rapport with both parents and co-workers. For first grade I would also hire someone from the outside because I need a positive, collaborative teacher who has innovative skills to bring old school teaching into the new millennium. For third grade I would hire an applicant whose strength is in ELA, can focus and can help others focus, collaborates well, positive, upbeat attitude and classroom management skills.

However, if my selection pool does not bring forward the right candidate then I would move 2^nd grade Sally South to Kindergarten because she is not showing growth in the current grade. I feel she might do better in a lower grade. Reviewing fifth grade teacher’s strengths and who is leaving, I recommend a strong ELA teacher outside of my school and Antelope’s teacher. I think a new teacher can bring collaboration, and support for all teachers. For the middle school, I would move Caren Pope to 8^th grade because she is considered a great content teacher, and I need a strong content teacher to integrate STEM for the testing grade, 8. Since the SPED teacher is very knowledgeable I would want the next teacher to be just as knowledgeable, therefore hiring an outsider is the best choice because neither of the other colleagues are qualified and need support to complete their jobs.

District Policies

My current district does not have a union or collective bargaining process, thus being selected as a teacher depends on your qualifications, willingness to learn, and character traits to fit into our school culture, mission, and vision.

However, for those teachers that I plan on changing grades, I would consider how long they have been with the school, current roles and how well they are performing in their current grade. But ultimately, my decision will be based on what is best for students to achieve.

Teacher Screening Procedures

Since I need specific qualifications in my new teachers, I will be screening their application, and hiring process. I would want the applicant to give a demonstration of the content area in which they are applying for, I would set up several scenarios to see how well the person interacts with the students and collaborates with staff and how they apply new strategies into the classroom. This is important because our school culture is poor because many teachers are not professional with others, thus making the work environment hostile, and toxic. I noticed that staff members are not collaborating and assisting others in the content areas where they are good at.

Teacher collaboration is the key to our school’s success. Therefore, this is a quality that I am demanding of my new teacher because as a team our culture is to help each other and learn from one another. Collaborations also includes observing what others are doing to help them become better instructors.

Staff and Community Collaboration

Another factor for teachers is to collaborate and inform the community of the concepts and projects of what we are doing, how they can help and contribute to our success. Thus, Antelope Elementary school needs teachers who are committed to facilitating and collaborating with each other in the school and community in all capacities.

Principles Ethics

As principal my conduct and actions will be based on ethical moral of selecting the best candidates for our school. I believe being fair to all applicants in completing the same hiring process as another. This entails having all candidates demonstrate their competency in content areas and communications skills to identify the best person for the job. Being transparent and setting a criterion of what is best for the students, staff and school will help focus and identify the most qualified person. Thus, my job is to be a servant leader who is seeking the most eligible person to help solidify the mission, vision, and culture of our school.

Reference

Meet expectations with moral clarity: Operating in the public eye, principal must continually balance their professional ethics with public expectations, experts say in a principal q&a. (2023). Principal, 103(2), 30-35.