“As associate principal, I can be a best friend or a worst enemy.” Deb Paradowski, associate principal at Arrowhead Union High School South Campus, said.
“We wear many hats,” said Paradowski. Associate principals take care of day to day maintenance, discipline, and attendance.
“She is more in charge of the students, and the principal in more in charge of the facility,” Joanne Webster, a south campus sectary, said.
“It’s a good cop, bad cop situation as well. I’m the bad cop that catches you, where as Mr. Wojorack is the good cop that could let you have another chance,” said Paradowski.
Responsibility, making impact on people, and facing challenges are all part of the job as an associate principal. “It’s just a bigger classroom,” said Paradowski.
Every student has an opportunity to get to the known their associate principal and the associate principal has an opportunity to get to know their students.
“It’s hard to call the parents about their child, and inform them on what kind of trouble their child is in,” said Paradowski.
Even when students mess up, here at arrowhead you always get a second chance. And the facility members never make a student’s turn to the right path alone.
“But it’s not as hard as trying to help students so much, make them want better, and then in the end having to say goodbye. Expelling a student is the hardest,” Paradowski said.
“Making so many connections is great. Especially those unknown impacts I have on people,” said Paradowski.
But Paradowski said she wasn’t always perfect at her job.
“At my old district, I lived right down the street from the school. So if I forgot something for work, I would just zoom down there at get it. At my old school, they had an alarm with pin numbers and such. Well, one night, it was like 9:30ish and I needed something. So I went there. I had set off the alarm but had thought I defused it in time. As I was at my desk, working. I was so into my work, I hadn’t notice that there were police there, guns point at me. They had came cause to the alarm. I had to explain to them I was the associate principal.”
“That was a crazy situation. There are many crazy days. Not just one day pops out. Every day is a new adventure.” Paradowski said. Even when things go crazy, there is an easy part to every job.
“The easiest thing about my job is being able to maintain a positive attitude and being able to spread it to other, “Paradowski said.