# Stressed teaching principal



## TRipley (12 Mar 2014)

Hello - a friend if mine is v.stressed as a primary teaching principal and I am getting worried about them. Is there any way that a teaching principal can revert to a classroom teacher role without resigning and reapplying for a temporary role? In other words is it possible for a teaching principal to change role without losing permanency? Thanks


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## PaddyBloggit (12 Mar 2014)

Short answer ... No

I can empathise fully with your friend but the only way they can retain their entitlements is if the school closes and they get redeployed.

They can get access to counselling throgh the following scheme:

[broken link removed]

If your friend resigns to take on another role they will lose all their allowances (including their Principal's Allowance).

What's stressing them out? Over zealous staff? parents? BOM? or the plethora of paperwork. With regard to admin work I presume they are using the services of a secretary.


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## seantheman (13 Mar 2014)

If they are happy to revert to their teaching role could they not show that they are incompetent as a principal and get demoted? Were they brought into the school as a principal or promoted from within?


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## PaddyBloggit (13 Mar 2014)

Demotion isn't an option available without consequences.

If a vacancy occurs in a school, the local Diocesan Supply Panel has first dibs on the job. When that clears, the supplementary panel kicks in.

When that clears and providing the job still remains unfulfilled, the Principal can then apply for it but he/she will lose all allowances associated with Principalship and in this day and age a further pay cut may only compound the stress levels.

Unless the school closes and the principal is redployed in that way, the chances of moving to another job are slim.

Jobs are as scare as hen's teeth and when they do come up, the panels usually fill the majority of them.

The OP's friend is in a difficult situation and there is no simple solution I'm afraid.


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## Deiseblue (13 Mar 2014)

The VHI run an employee assistance service exclusively for teachers - the free phone number is 1800 411 057.

The ASTI run stress prevention courses from time to time , perhaps the INTO also offer such courses ?


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## niceoneted (13 Mar 2014)

You cannot put a price on your own health. 
It would be nice to think you could keep he permanency etc. I might also depend on service what your friend might  decide. 
I would recommend seeing a counsellor as this may relieve or resolve the issues.


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## TRipley (13 Mar 2014)

thanks for your responses - as I thought there is no easy way out of this situation - losing principals allowance is not an issue - it's more having to start from scratch again in a temp position going from school to school - not getting paid over summer holidays building time up on the panel until eligibility for a permananent job crops up


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## PaddyBloggit (13 Mar 2014)

Can the cause of the stress be tackled?


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## TRipley (13 Mar 2014)

source of stress is the high loading of administration work that a teaching principal has to get done aswell as teaching.


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## PaddyBloggit (13 Mar 2014)

They need to prioritise. Number one - getting their teacher planning right, number two is admin work.

Is there a WSE (Whole School Evaluation) in the offing?

Dept. returns via esinet makes things a little easier from that side.

How big is the school? Even in a two teacher school the second teacher has a special duties post and their duties include doing admin and curricular planning (This list of duties can and should be reviewed every year).

I need more info to be able to give more help. Can you give more specifics TRipley?

IPPN gives support to Principals ... there are planning and admin policy templates available via IPPN website. They also have a mailing list where different issues can be discussed collegially.


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## TRipley (14 Mar 2014)

thanks for your advice PaddyBloggit you sound like you are in the know here,

there's been no notice of a WSE to date. The school is 2 teacher and also has a learning support resource teacher. My friend will admit that they are not organised and they haven't got their class planning up to date. They've also let the admin work slip (although I think they said the 7 core policy docs were in place). Problem this year specifically is that the 2nd teacher with special duties has been out on Mat leave which is not helping. My friend has come from a class teacher position in the same school and moved into the teaching principal role 5 years ago. 

what do you mean by dept. returns vis esinet?


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## PaddyBloggit (14 Mar 2014)

esinet is the DES website where teacher absences etc. are recorded, annual returns are made etc.

He/she should (*needs to*) have the services of a secretary. The school should be getting a caretaker/secretary grant. He also has a set number of admin days that he can take to do admin work. He should use these carefully. Plan for their use in advance.

NUMBER ONE: Tell him to get his classwork in order or he have lots of problems down the line. Is he/she is the upper or lower end?

You haven't said but I get the impression that your friend is male and if so is more than likely teaching 4th to 6th class.


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## TRipley (18 Mar 2014)

Hi PaddyBloggit - they're teaching the junior classes (multigrade, 4 classes per room) - interesting you mention the secretary - the school has one but what in your opinion should be the duties of the secretary? I get the impression that this may be a weak area.


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## PaddyBloggit (18 Mar 2014)

Junior classes means preparation for communion - a handful outside of everything else.

Secretary in our school inputs all info into esinet, does the photocopying, types out the policies, books buses, orders materials etc. etc.

A secretary is a great resource but must have his/her duties defined and should be reviewed regularly.

Delegation and proportion is the key. Delegate so that classwork can be number one.

A good exercise is to make lists - immediate, to be sorted in the medium term and long term. A page divided into three columns and bullet point within the lists.

You seem to have a capable head on you ... offer to help prioritise the list.

NUMBER ONE is, again, get classroom work organised. Each day of learning lost is a day never to be found again.

Is your friend comfortable in the junior end? The senior side are more independent  and might be a better option to be considered (for a teaching principal) for next September.

Is there an SNA in the classroom/school? If there is, they can be invaluable.

Coming back to your original post ... I don't think moving would sort their stress ... they just need to get organised.

The INTO and IPPN websites have great resources for download.

The DES site dealing with school planning has great stuff on it for helping the teacher to sort his/her curriculum planning. Re. the secretary - tell your friend to look at the IPPN resources section - there's a sample contract for secretaries there.


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## TRipley (18 Mar 2014)

Thanks paddybloggit, you've been very helpful, it's great to get a third party insight. You're right on the money about getting organised, that's key I think. Delegation seems to be important as well especially for the extras like the Christmas play etc etc, although this is tricky in a small school,
Thanks again,
Tripley


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## RainyDay (18 Mar 2014)

He might be able to get help from the parents, on things like running fundraisers, or even the Christmas play, or helping with classroom technology etc


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