You Sound Taller on the Telephone
A Practitioner's View of the Principalship
- Dennis R. Dunklee - Emeritus, George Mason University, Virginia, USA
This hands-on guide to being a principal is disguised as an engaging novel. It's filled with real situations that happen to school leaders every day. The main character's common sense, sensitive intuition, and passion for his students' welfare propel and underscore his actions. Through the actions of Grant Sterling you'll learn to:
- Examine what effective school leadership means to you
- Blend the crucial skills of leadership, management, and administration into your Principalship
- See how the best decisions always involve what's right for students
- Build your solutions from the tools and materials in the community
Use the "real-life' scenarios here to help you polish the talents you need as a school leader. Get comfortable with having to present and defend your viewpoint and having to persuade and convince others. Fine-tune your abilities in collaborative work and building on the ideas and knowledge of others.
You'll learn how to look for the best answers — rather than the right ones — to resolve situations. Find out how to use your own good instincts, knowledge, and courage to enhance your daily decision-making process.
For school leaders who want to understand how they can better serve students, community, and staff, this book is a must read. For courses in educational administration, it will stimulate ideas and further reflection. Questions at the end of each episode invite debate and discussion.
"Modeled on an account of one principal’s journey through two middle schools, a high school, and an elementary school, in urban and suburban settings...this book challenges you to think through your own style of leadership. The vignettes present a painfully accurate reflection of a principal’s day."
"This is reality, this is what you won’t read in any other book but will experience on the job. This is not theory, this is what you will face trying to give students the best you can."
"This book is an excellent bridge between theory and practice. It is accurate, it is relevant, and it is readable."