MBWA
A Principal’s All-Purpose Strategy!
The plate of a principal is forever overflowing. The scope of his responsibilities are virtually endless. There may be students waiting at the door, teacher meetings that cannot be postponed, one or two irate parents fuming in the lobby, several orders to make, prepping for that assembly this afternoon, and the board president has left several strongly worded voice mails. Good morning! It’s only 9:15 AM. Welcome to another day!
An effective principal must employ activities and strategies that are not only responsive to the many calls for a principal’s time and attention but also preventative of some of these issues. In over thirty years as a school principal and headmaster, I have not found as simple nor as effective a technique than MBWA (pronounced “ooM Bwah”) which stands for Management By Walking Around. It is as simple as it is effective.
Let me describe how it worked for me and you can adapt the idea. Prior to each month, when I prepare my daily appointments for the month. I proactively block off roughly two to three hours per day for about four days per week (allowing one day a week for catch up). I tend to alternate between blocking up all the hours in the morning, all the hours in the afternoon, or splitting it between morning and afternoon hours. I also made sure I would schedule MBWA time each week during lunch, recess, and dismissal.
Then, treat your MBWA time as any important appointment. Do not allow other distractions to interrupt this important time. During MBWA, I would roam purposefully through the building, being visible in hallways as I greet and “small chat” with students and employees, stopping in at various classrooms. Sometimes I would simply stop at a classroom window and observe long enough for the students and teacher to note my presence, while other times I entered the class and observed for up to ten minutes or so. During these observations, I would take mental or sometimes written notes to transfer to my teacher database or to preserve certain items for follow up later. I usually do my MBWA with several index cards in my pocket on which to take various notes.
During my “walking around,” I would also make a point of checking the cleanliness, maintenance, and safety of the facility. I would check restrooms, kitchen, teacher’s lounge, and play yard. I would observe PE, lunch procedure and dismissal, always making sure to make my presence visible by chatting with students and faculty. If I noted a cleanliness of safety concern, I would have it immediately addressed by communicating with the custodian. At times, I would be fortunate to find a teacher in his/her classroom during a free period, which gave us the opportunity to chat a bit more openly and deeply, if necessary. It was a great time to speak with faculty more personally and to strengthen staff relationships.
I found that my MBWA time allowed me first-hand knowledge of what was occurring in the halls and classrooms. It gave me regular peeks into the classrooms and provided a pulse of the culture and standards of the school and what were the priorities to proactively address, helping to prevent issues before they arose and to support teachers in their daily work. It enabled me to find small problems and repair them before they escalated into something bigger. It helped me connect with everyone and enhanced my leadership due to the daily visibility. The daily “dipstick” enabled me to confidently respond to parents who questioned what was occurring in a particular classroom. Done regularly, MBWA solved problems before they occurred, connected me to the students and teachers, and gave me daily first-hand information to help prioritize and effectively address concerns.
What other strategy can you use that can do all that?
