A principal’s work is never finished, or at least it feels that way when you spend a day at Harper-Archer Elementary School.
VIDEO: ‘Together we can and together we will’
Principal Dione Simon Taylor starts her day before classes begin and the next eight hours are a blur of activity, from greeting students as they get off the bus to staff meetings and dance class. Here’s how she spent one October school day.
7:20 a.m.: Taylor arrives at the school.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
7:36 a.m.: Taylor stands in hallway, greeting students and directing them to the cafeteria and classrooms.
7:59 a.m.: Taylor goes upstairs, continues to direct students and greet them.
8:00 a.m.: Classes begin.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
8:10 a.m.: Taylor walks down a hallway, stopping to pick up trash, unstack chairs, and greet a few classes.
8:19 a.m.: Taylor unlocks her conference room and office door, unpacks her briefcase, and goes over her schedule.
8:30 a.m.: Taylor heads to the media center to give a short speech during a ceremony to recognize students of the month.
8:42 a.m.: Taylor returns to office, makes a cup of coffee.
8:48 a.m.: Taylor leaves office to head to her first meeting of the day, an instructional planning session with first-grade teachers.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
9:41 a.m.: Taylor leaves the meeting to meet with a videographer from central office who wants to film her speaking about a nominee for the upcoming Atlanta Public Schools employee awards ceremony.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
9:51 a.m.: Taylor returns to instructional planning meeting.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
10:22 a.m.: After the meeting, Taylor returns to her office and then heads to a dance class.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
10:42 a.m.: Taylor watches students practice choreography they're learning for an upcoming performance at the APS State of the District event, which will be held at Harper-Archer this year.
10:50 a.m.: Taylor stops to watch second-graders who participating in a dance class led by outside instructors from the program Moving in the Spirit. Taylor has created an artist-in-residence program to expose students to different kinds of arts education.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
11:00 a.m.: Taylor stops by a music classroom, where students are (loudly) drumming.
11:16 a.m.: Taylor visits the gymnasium during "gym jam," a recreational reward for students.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
11:27 a.m.: Taylor returns to her office to check emails.
11:36 a.m.: Taylor reviews her schedule with the school business manager and the school's director of partnerships and programs. She completes paperwork and answers questions.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
12:42 p.m.: Taylor heads to an instructional planning session with second-grade teachers.
2:09 p.m.: After the meeting, Taylor grabs a slice of pizza off a cart as a staffer rolls it down the hallway and returns to the main office for a lemonade.
2:15 p.m.: Taylor takes up her station in the school lobby, saying goodbye to students and directing foot-traffic.
3:13 p.m.: After school buses depart, Taylor leaves the lobby. Her day isn't over. She still has to record school announcements, go to an attendance meeting, and finally a meeting about the school's federal Title 1 status.
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