The Reflective Principal: 40 Years and Counting With NAESP

By Lillian Brinkley Principal, January/February 2012 It seems as if it was just yesterday that I sat in my superintendent’s office as he uttered the words, “You are being appointed to the principalship.” As I drove out of the parking lot with instruction to report immediately to my new assignment, my grip on the steering wheel became tighter as the fear overcame the excitement. I didn’t have any administrative experience or coursework. Even more frightening was the fact that I was only 23 years old!