An Internship at Charleston Junior High

The internship at Charleston Junior High School consisted of a program conducted during the spring semester of 1978 in cooperation with the Educational Administration Department at Eastern Illinois University. The author assumed many different responsibilities in order to gain experience to prepare for a position as a school administrator. Under the direction of Mr. John Dively, Principal at Charleston Junior High School, and Mr. James Hill, Assistant Principal at Charleston Junior High School, activities in the following areas were exposed to the intern: Opening School Day Closing School Day Budgeting Student problems (discipline) Parental problems Computer scheduling Spend a few days with Jim Hill Inventory Summer maintenance Secretarial Janitorial Overall supervision of building Bus problems Working with counselor Other The internship provided many rewarding experiences concerning educational administration. The author feels that the day she was acting principal provided the most realistic and memorable experiences. During the internship a wide range of knowledge was obtained concerning the roles of principal and assistant principal. Some of the observations made by this intern concerning those roles are the following: that the principal or assistant principal\u27s day is very difficult to plan due to many unforeseen interruptions. that many school personnel expect the principal or assistant principal to have easy solutions to all problems. that the principal is responsible for all personnel and students in any type of situation. that the principal and assistant principal are expected to be informed of what is going on in the school. that the principal and assistant principal often must cooperate with city and county agencies concerning students. Perhaps the most time-consuming duties of the principal and assistant principal during the spring semester included student scheduling and teacher evaluations. The internship helped the author refine thoughts and ideas of the educational process and has provided the experience and necessary skills for becoming an effective administrator. It has also helped the author develop a feeling of confidence and satisfaction in the administrative field