THE ODYSSEY OF A PRINCIPAL

ABSTRACT Jamaican schools are, for the most part, driven by the principal’s persona. Many individuals within the public sphere view the school as being owned by the principal. This persona is sometimes magnified to the extent that it causes even some principals to assume this false position of ownership over the institutions they lead. It is, therefore, for this reason that I am offering an autoethnography focused on my experiences as a principal. This I hope will bring my audience closer to the subculture experience of school life, through my own experiences. The following research questions were put: 1. What were the challenges I faced during my principalship? 2. How did I respond to the challenges? 3. What occupied my time during my journey? 4. What factors and considerations determined my priorities? 5. What barriers or obstacles did I encounter in attempting to initiate and execute the institution’s first School Development Plan (SIP) and cultivating what I consider to be a positive environment, and an organizational culture that enhances teaching and learning? 6. In what ways did I develop and use a model of accountability in a positive and productive manner? Research data were garnered from my reflexive journal, personal calendar, staff agendas and memos, the principal’s log, and reflexive analysis. Reflective and retrospective insight was gained through the analysis of thematic similarities, key attributes, and the coding of the data. Secondary sources of information were substantially drawn from research findings and comparisons gained from literature reviews. The study is justified in that it provides insight into how the experience of a school principal can: help to create a possible template of school development strategies, provide aspiring and current principals an opportunity to reflect on their own careers in administration, and give insight into how the experience of a school principal can help to provide for a new governance structure for schools. I concluded with a specific appeal to principals and educational leaders to also write their own stories, and a general call for further autoethnographical research in this area from my colleagues in Jamaica and more generally in the developing world.