They never taught me this in Principal School.
It’s a statement that I jokingly add any time I’m dealing with something unexpected.
A child’s glasses flushed down the toilet. A parent quietly bribing another parent to avoid a potential discipline issue. A medical emergency for a family member at a school event. Aliens landing on the front lawn of the school.
I usually categorize these events accordingly:
- The Bizarre Physics of School Plumbing
- Back Room Parent Diplomacy
- Unscripted Live Event Disasters
- Supernatural Occurrences
There are many situations that you can never be prepared for. I can honestly say that nothing surprises me at this point, but I often have to think deeply through these very unfamiliar situations first.
Even if Principal School did prepare me for every situation, some things would still come as a shock. And that is why I employ two strategies when dealing with it all:
- Stay calm. Never too high and never too low. This too shall pass. However you want to say it, you need to remain calm in the face of disasters, both natural and parent-produced. Don’t let those surprises ruin your day. Remain calm and approach every scenario as if you’ve been there before, even if you haven’t. Your calmness keeps everyone else calm in these situations. Your calmness also allows you to think clearly when clear thought is critical. Keep calm and carry on.
- Maintain a sense of humor. Nine times out of ten, it’s not personal. Whatever happens, keep in mind that you are being tested. No one is truly attempting to make things worse for you. Take a step back and just appreciate the sheer absurdity of things. Give everyone involved a break, including yourself. Laugh along with them, and never forget that at the end of the day, it’s still a job — not every part of it needs to be taken too seriously. Everyone deserves a laugh once in a while!
Keep these two strategies in mind. When you are making it up on the fly, you need to stay calm and maintain that sense of humor.
Consider this your Principal School.
Rich
