Like many, Chatard strives to be good at what he does. However, being a “good” school administrator, forces some administrators to spend 60 to 70 hours a week working. Chatard not only meets the time-consuming requirements of his position, but feels that there is room for self-improvement. He recently took the time to attend a seminar called “Breakthrough Coach,” in an effort to learn how to be more effective and active within the school as Grant’s vice principal.

“The seminar put a focus on re-training the habits of school administrators so they don’t turn into glorified secretaries,” Chatard says. He goes on to explain: “Part of the training involved getting rid of everything in one’s office that traps them there. As you can see I don’t keep any family photos her, nothing that would make me too comfortable.” The goal of the barren offi ce is to keep Chatard where he feels he now belongs – in the hallways and classrooms of Grant High School–instead of stuck in an offi ce. “‘When the Game is going on, my job is to be in the Game,’” Chatard adds, quoting one of the mottos of Breakthrough Coach, which compares a school day to a game with coaches and players.He said he wants to be proactive, in classrooms fi nding solutions, rather than simply sitting in his offi ce waiting for problems to find him.

According to its website, Breakthrough Coach as a “consulting firm dedicated to developing the leadership skills of school administrators.” The goal of the program is to increase administrative productivity, allowing administrators to spend more time observing teachers and being out and about in the school while still leaving time for themselves and their families. The company organizes conferences in various cities around the US, which are open to administrative staff and their secretaries.

School administrators juggle a wide variety of duties including discipline, teacher evaluations, parent meetings, and supervising all home sports and activities. Despite the time commitments and some of the more unpleasant aspects of serving as a vice principal, Chatard admits that he loves his job. “I used to be a teacher. It suits me much better to be an administrator,” he says. “[As an adminstrator] I am very involved with the students, but I am very interested in having a life as well.” Hopefully, with his new training, Chatard will be able to accomplish all of these things—but you may need to look for him in the halls.