School’s out: The summer of a school principal

Most schools have ended the school year and many graduations have happened. Kids have begun summer camps, summer school, and sleeping in. Many teachers have kicked off summer travel and the process of winding down from a long school year. As a school principal, I often get asked what do you do all summer? When the school year ends and teachers and students are gone, the work of a school principal continues through the entire summer. We Hire During the summer, the priority of a school principal is to find and hire the right teachers for their students. This task has become very difficult given the teacher shortage that is impacting schools all over the country. As a school leader, if you are hired in June, it is considered late! The recruiting and hiring process usually begins in March and you hope to complete hiring before the summer begins. Principals must be creative in finding qualified candidates that can not only teach students but meet the needs of the school community. Hiring math and science teachers can be extremely challenging given the limited number of qualified candidates. In the past school principals would see 8-10 applicants for an open position,...