NASHVILLE — A student walked up to Travis Moss, assistant principal at Spring Canyon Middle School in Springville, Utah, last school year, handed him a stick of butter and walked away with no explanation.
It was one of those moments where Moss, who is in his third year as an administrator, wondered if the odd situation was really what school administrators have to navigate as campus leaders. As a middle school leader, he's also taken care of students who are bleeding because they lost a baby tooth, or he's had to explain to others why tube tops aren't allowed at school.
Speaking at the National Conference on School Leadership on Tuesday, Moss admitted he was "white-knuckling it" in his first year as an administrator as he faced challenging and sometimes head-scratching situations. But as he gained experience, he started implementing changes that helped him gain confidence and remind him of his purpose to support the school community.
"You learn a lot from getting lost," said Moss, who co-presented with Brittany Lundell, an assistant principal at Springville Junior High School, which is in the same school district as Moss' school. Lundell was an assistant principal at Spring Canyon Middle School alongside Moss until recently.
Because the journey of learning how to be a school administrator is hard, Moss and Lundell offered several tips they've used to help them on their paths:
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Find your North Star. Moss has taped the mantra "Walk them home" to the wall in his office. That saying helps him remember the support he's received in his personal and professional life, and how now he has to be the source of support at the school.
"Others have walked me home," Moss said. "Now I am blessed to do the same." -
Have a co-pilot. Lundell said that when she started as a new administrator two years ago, she thought it would show weakness if she asked for help. But she realized that her success was dependent on forging relationships with others who she could trust, lean on and learn from.
"The success of our school lies with us," Lundell said. "That's a lot less scary when you know that you have a good co-pilot." -
Charge your daily batteries. Moss said he had a negative relationship with his email inbox, which he had checked frequently throughout the day. He would spend the day thinking about contentious emails and was consumed with those thoughts even when away from the computer. Now, he sets certain times of the day to check emails.
He also started playing music as students arrive at school, to create a joyful moment for himself and the students as the day begins.
"I still have all these angry parents, I still have all this other stuff, but my battery is charged because I prioritize myself getting ready for the day," Moss said.
Moss and Lundell also emphasized they found their footings as administrators as student engagement activities were expanded — and school spirit increased — at Spring Canyon Middle School.
The school set up photo booth-like backdrops, let students decide what costumes administrators would wear on special days, and held a fancy New Year's party for the first day back after winter break.
"We are surprised that not only did these things strengthen us in selfish ways… but we were excited and surprised at how much it strengthened our school and made it a fun place to be," Lundell said.
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