New ideas start with understanding the needs of those you serve. When I first became a principal, I did not try to mirror the ideas and practices of the principals who had come before me. Instead, I thought, “If I were a teacher in this school, what would I expect of my principal?” Thinking about the learning environment from that perspective also helped me empathize with being a student in the school and a parent in the community. For example, as a teacher, I felt frustrated when I attended meetings that seemed to go nowhere and went too long. So to respect the time of others, I made sure
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