can't boss the boss unless you're The Boss (that's Springsteen for you wipper snappers)

Dave Anderson (left) and Mike Simons roll play a principal/teacher discussion
 about controversial content posted on a school-sponsored website.

   Dave and Mike did a phenomenal job roll playing a possible meeting about content. This reminded me of a similar discussion I had in my classroom in 2008.
   My editor-in-chief was also my teacher assistant during my last-period-of-the-day prep period when one day the principal came in to discuss a story he had apparently taken some heat from a parent for earlier in the day. To be honest, I do not even remember what the article was about. I decided not to ask my editor-in-chief to leave the room so she could learn from the conversation. I also decided not to tell the principal she was the editor-in-chief because it was immediately obvious to me that this was a conversation about the entire nature of the newspaper and not a specific content concern.
   The principal made it clear that his purpose in coming to see me was to inform me that he would from this moment on be instituting prior review of the publication.
   In that moment I had some choices to make. I could simply explain that because Oregon is an open forum state, by law our student paper cannot be subject to prior review. In my head that sounded confrontational and I respect my principal a great deal, so I decided not to go there. Instead, I walked him through all of the things I do as the advisor to make sure the content of the paper is accurate and that I always consider the impact any article will have on the school and the community. I also showed him that the words in our flag "a student newspaper" identify to the public and the legal system that our paper is a student publication which tells the world that the views expressed in the paper are those of the students and not the school administration.
   As a side note, after discussing my flag with the lawyer who presented on press law, next year our flag will read: "a student-edited newspaper."
   Anyway, the conclusion to my discussion with the principal was that I was doing a great job, there would be no need for prior review, and that I should continue doing exactly what I had been doing. My editor-in-chief was amazed watching how this conversation unfolded. Sometimes a logical argument does work, but it was combined with active listening and thoughtful explanation.
   It is true what was said in class: sometimes our bosses just don't know what we do. Once I walked my principal through the process of what I go through on the front lines of our publication, he walked away with a much better understanding of how hard I work for the school. I believe this has really helped build the relationship I now have with my principal. I trust him and I believe he trusts me.

Greg Cantwell
Sheldon High School
Eugene, Oregon