A Day in the Life of a Principal at The SEED School of Los Angeles County
Natale's workday as a high school principal is highly variable, ranging from "instructional meetings, planning meetings, data meetings" on calm days to late nights addressing crises like "a fight or a confrontation," especially given the boarding school setting. The role demands diverse skills encompassing instruction, coaching, conflict resolution, and extensive family partnerships.
Education, Leadership, Student Support, Conflict Resolution, Instructional Coaching
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Natale Mejia
Principal
The SEED School of Los Angeles County
UCLA Class 2010
The Johns Hopkins University, Class of 2013, MsEd. in Urban Education; USC, Class of 2020, Ed.D in Educational Leadership
Ethnic & Related Studies
Education
Education
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Principal Natale's day-to-day work varies greatly depending on student needs and school events. A 'good day' might involve classroom observations, meetings, and lunch supervision, while challenging days can extend well into the evening due to incidents requiring investigation and family meetings.
2. The role requires a diverse skillset, encompassing instructional support, coaching, conflict resolution, and collaboration with families and students.
3. Natale highlights the unpredictable nature of the job, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and responsiveness to the ever-changing needs of the students and school community.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of your role look like?
That's a great question. I wish I could give you a straight answer, but every day is different. It really depends on how the kids are feeling for the day.
If they're calm and collected, my day goes very smoothly. I can have my instructional meetings, planning meetings, and data meetings.
However, if behavior is not where it needs to be, and I have to support a student in crisis or manage a fight or confrontation, that could really steer the direction of my day.
On a good day, it sounds like me coming in to support kids in the nursing station, since we don't have a nurse right now. Then I'd go in to do some classroom observations. I have meetings in the afternoon.
I do lunch supervision, and coming back, I continue with instructional meetings or observational rounds. At the end of the day, on a good day, I'm able to come home and be in my space by 4:30.
When days are a little bit longer and tough, like yesterday, it was on campus. I think closer to 10 p.m. Because we are a boarding school, the day is pretty long.
We had three incidents that I had to go and investigate, confer with parents, and host family meetings. It was a very long day.
But I think, more or less, it's anything specific to the school: from instruction to coaching, conflict resolution, conflict management, and partnering with families and students.