by Kit Hittinger
If you have ever cooked a large holiday meal, you know that it takes planning to prepare a memorable, variety-abundant display of delicious courses. Although the prep work is important, timing is vital as all those scrumptious offerings need to be served at one time. No matter how organized, success or failure depends on those hectic moments before dinner is served, and even the best chefs rush to get it all to the table on time. The same is true when one is the only administrator of a school. Planning and organization are vital, but timing will drive failure or success.
I am the new principal at Lutheran High School in La Verne, California. I work in the administrative office with two other people, the Director of Student Affairs, hired this year to handle academic counseling and admissions, and the office manager who answers phones, takes payments, and handles general student and parent needs. I do everything else, including the athletic director (AD) work, as the previous AD quit in July. I have been challenged with increasing enrollment to help with pandemic-related financial struggles, reviving teacher morale and being the educational leader of a school who has not had such leadership in over five years, an overdue accreditation visit, an alumni association never asked for direct support, and twenty-one association churches that have not been communicated with in many years. Add to this my aging parents, my husband and younger daughter who see less of me these days, and the completion of my doctorate program by this coming May. I am wrought with responsibilities, but my daily chant of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” helps me manage to calmly get things finished. Prioritization of tasks is a daily activity for me, and I am hoping that I am not alone.
Osif (2007) discusses the concept of multitasking, popularly used amongst the busiest of people. There are two opposing views noted within his text. Some people are proud to multitask, showing how much can be accomplished at one time. Others believe multitaskers are careless, leaving important details incomplete. I thought I was good at multitasking, but I am not. This does not mean that my mind cannot remember several different things, but the reality for me is that I must do one thing at a time to do it well.
My secret to keeping up with my many responsibilities is two-fold. First, I write everything down in my agenda, and second, I try to remain calm in all situations. I have tried electronic calendars and task apps, but those do not work for me. The old-fashioned pen and paper method is one of my greatest tools. As I complete each task, I am self-motivated to “highlight all the things.” Each year I find solace in preplanning for the new school year, everything from calendaring birthdays to creating content lists for future publications. I continue to add tasks as needed. My last weekly task is to transfer anything that was not completed (or left un-highlighted) to the next week. I continually prioritize and balance between the immediate need and what can wait until I have a few spare minutes. Of course, behavior issues, emergency situations, and staff in need always shuffle my priority list, sometimes making it feel like my own work will never get finished. This takes me to remaining calm.
There are moments that I must step out of my office and sit in my car, either crying or venting to an outside friend, but normally, remaining calm helps me to focus. I thank God, who has given me a calm nature to tackle what seems impossible. I try to use my calm spirit to diffuse others, which many times make my job easier. With so much to do, breaking down relationships, throwing fits, or giving up only hinder my progress.
God has tasked me with a large assignment, one that I take very seriously. Finding my niche in administration was challenging, and I thank God that He continues to mold me into the administrator I need to be. He has placed me at Lutheran High School La Verne for a purpose, and I will continue to write down my tasks and highlight them off one at a time, knowing that each time I do, I am fulfilling His plan for LHSLV. Knowing this, I can remain calm and focused.
Osif, B. A. (2007). Multitasking. Library Administration & Management, 21(4), 199-204.
Kit Hittinger is the Principal of Lutheran High School in Laverne, CA. She can be reached at khittinger@lhslv.org.