For students, the school day begins when they walk into the building, but for administrators, work starts as soon as they open their eyes. This definitely applies to Assistant Principal Monica Alba-Nuñez.
“Before I leave my house, I’m still in my pajamas, checking emails or making to-do lists,” Alba-Nuñez said. “Then I keep going. I shower, get coffee, check emails again, deal with text messages I already have about the world blowing up, or somebody needing something.”
By the time she gets to school, Alba-Nuñez’s mile-long list already has about 10 things checked off, including dealing with students wanting to change schedules and dealing with the district.
When she steps into the building, her stream of work continues. She already has to start picking students out of dress code and dealing with staff issues, such as a missing substitute.
As an administrator, her days are far from predictable – from an endless stream of small crises to urgent decisions, every day is different. She handles schedule changes and master schedule dilemmas. In the middle of all of this, Alba-Nuñez deals with discipline issues, emails, meetings with parents and helping teachers navigate everything from getting supplies to planning for their future.
“There’s nothing typical about the fires I put out during the day,” Alba-Nuñez said. “Whether it’s a child that needs help due to something at home, or an adult in the building facing something horrible, like a death in the family.”
Despite the whirlwind of problems Alba-Nuñez has to solve, she still finds joy in her day, especially when she gets to work with students.
“My favorite part of the job is anything that has to do with the kids,” Alba-Nuñez said. “It could be classroom walkthroughs, a pep rally or when a kid comes in, hugs me and tells me ‘You’re not going to believe it, I was accepted into this university.’ It’s the kids.”
The job doesn’t always have happy little moments though – sometimes she has to make some difficult decisions.
“My least favorite part of the day is when I have to choose between a kid’s needs for the day and an adult’s pressing concern,” Alba- Nuñez said. “I always want to choose the kids, but sometimes the adult’s pressing concern takes precedence.”
Even after the school day has finished, that doesn’t mean her work day ends, as she spends nights attending district meetings and trainings.
For Alba-Nuñez, being an administrator makes her feel like she’s able to have a bigger impact on students rather than being a teacher confined to a certain group of students.
“You can only make such an impact on the kids in your classroom,” Alba-Nuñez said. “As an administrator, being able to help students achieve their dreams and help them beyond the school walls just makes it so worth it.”