My office is not an evil dungeon!

It makes sense though right? I mean as an assistant principal, the one hat I wear the most is disciplinarian. I can't even count the number of consequences I've handed down for different things this year. When I introduce myself on the phone to a parent, the first thing they say is "what did they do??". When a student comes walking into my office, "am I in trouble?"

Obviously my office is the black hole of evil. 

The pit into the great unknown of consequence.

As a disciplinarian, I can come off as a dragon I'm sure. Firm, fiery and adult-like. Laying down the policies and procedures. I draw the lines between what is allowed and what is not. At the end of the day, however, I shut off the light of my beige fiery dungeon. I hope that I did my best and I move on. I sometimes take my daily decisions home with me. Did I give the right consequences, should I have been more severe or gracious? Then, I wake up and return to the cave of fear and terror and I do it all over again.

The thing I find the most intriguing about being the disciplinarian is I really am a nice person. I love that people describe me as "sweet, kind, compassionate, lovely" (I surveyed my buddies). I say please and thank you. I always greet people with a smile and typically give them the benefit of the doubt. A colleague and I were just talking about this the other day:

Why does being the disciplinarian cause us to have the perception of being this evil person? Could there be a way to turn our office from the "evil dungeon" to a place for the "Justice League of America?"

Sometimes we call kids in just to check on them. Sometimes, they just show up asking for Jolly Ranchers. More often than not, they give us hugs, high fives and the flu. But each student the minute they walk into my office becomes my number one priority. Only then can my office's perception of being an evil place change. Only then does my fellow assistant principal not spend an entire weekend answering parent emails about coming to visit the assistant principal's office on Monday.

My office is not about being the dragon hiding in the dungeon. It's about teaching. When a student walks into my office, that is always at the forefront of my mind. I'm to teach them how to be productive members of the school and beyond. That means teaching students to understand the rules of the community and helping students abide by them so that everyone can learn in a safe and secure environment.  Does that mean sometimes I need to be more forceful than others? of course!  Does that mean sometimes I make people angry? absolutely. I also sometimes make mistakes. But even on the worst day in my beige bat cave, if I do my job then students continue to learn and grow. And that makes living in the "evil dungeon" worth every minute.