Letters: For school principals, experience a key ingredient

ISSUE | EDUCATION

Experience a key ingredient of leadership

As a retired teacher with 26 years of experience, I wonder whether the "Trend in younger principals" (Wednesday) would extend to leaders in business, law, or the media. Can a person in those fields with five or less years of experience attain a position of leadership and responsibility for hundreds of people?

Being in charge of a school requires more than skill in technology and awareness of the latest best practices, which change constantly. It takes a knowledge of child development and the ability to work with parents, staff, and the community, which generally require experience.

Some teachers prefer to make more money early on, so they take the administrators' track rather than wait for their salaries to increase as teachers. Though there may be many young administrators who are capable, I find this to be a disturbing trend.

|Jane C. Sottile, Rose Valley