Page 25 - Beginning Principal Booklet

Stimulus Questions

One of the best ways to learn is to constantly question what you are

doing. It is also a good idea to compare and contrast what is
happening in your schools with those of your colleagues. Here are
some questions you might ask yourself during blue skies; of course

there are many others. These questions may be useful during your LS
meetings.

Question Set 1
● Am I asking too much of myself?
● Am I attempting too many changes or trying to deal with too
many issues?
● Are the dilemmas that I face as a beginning principal unique?
Or are they shared by others?

● Are there similarities between the core values of our schools?
What are they?
● Did I have an induction or orientation to my new school?
● Have I developed my approach to sharing leadership?
● How did I end up as a principal in my present school?
● What are my strengths as a leader? Have I demonstrated these
over time?

Question Set 2

● What can I do to change peoples’ perceptions of me and what I
am trying to do?
● What expectations do people hold of me? Are they realistic?
● What is different about my new school compared to what I am
used to? Is it better or worse? Why?
● What is something unusual about my new school and how it
‘works’?
● What type of leader do I think I am?
● Where to now?
● Why do I face leadership dilemmas? (Why is there no single
correct solution?)
● Why do people think about me as they do? Will it always be the
same?

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