Administrators are, first and foremost, teachers.

As we all feel the pressures of the budget crisis, No Child Left Behind and high stakes assessments, and as some teacher leaders seem intent on driving a wedge between teachers and administrators, it's time to consider who we are. If we don't see ourselves--first and foremost--as teachers, we might as well sell widgets.

The profession of school administrator grew out of the concept of the headmaster. Above all else, the headmaster was a master teacher. Do the teachers at your school or in your district think of you as a master teacher and instructional leader, or just a manager?

Too many of us have abdicated our right to speak for teachers because they perceive that we have forgotten, or never knew, what it's like in today's classrooms. I hope they're wrong, but the perception remains reality until we change it.

It doesn't matter whether your current title is principal, curriculum coordinator or superintendent. You are an administrator for a school system that only exists because of those kids in the classroom. Look at your schedule for next week. Have you scheduled any time to watch teachers teach and students learn?

Visiting every classroom

When I interviewed for my position as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for a K-8 district of 4,000 students, I told the panel that one of my goals would be to get into every classroom in the district for a substantive visit each year. After I got the job, I explained what I wanted to do and got schools signed up for visits.

The initial visit was a little tense as teachers tried to figure out what this new administrator was doing talking with kids and taking notes. Would the notes appear in their evaluations? What was he looking for? When I walked in during the middle of a lesson, some teachers wanted to stop what they were doing and explain what I'd missed. Others apologized because I arrived during silent reading or a test.

A couple of days after the visit, all teachers received notes from me about the overall school visit and my visit to their classroom. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and word spread quickly to other sites.

Subsequent visits went more smoothly as teachers let their guards down and let me see the real world at their schools. They discovered I didn't want them to interrupt a lesson to introduce me; although kindergarten teachers did have to clarify if a student blurted out, "Whose grandpa are you?"

They learned that I was collecting a composite collection of snapshots that would come together to give an overall view of the school, and that I didn't expect to see a complete picture in any particular classroom.

Unrealistic expectations?

Some of my fellow administrators were concerned when they saw my first set of notes. "You've set up expectations that you'll never be able to maintain," I was warned. I explained that even though the process took time, it was important enough to be considered an expectation.

Five years later, I'm still writing the notes and still receiving wonderful notes of appreciation. I try to share anecdotes, lesson materials and insights from my own teaching experience to let the teachers see that I still understand their life. The visits have helped me shift from being considered one of "them" to one of "us," or at least one of "them" who can be trusted.

These visits, and the development of my notes, have given me insights into what is truly going on in district classrooms that I could not get in any other way. Hearing a description of how a new math program is working at a district curriculum meeting is a weak imitation of the understanding I get by seeing that program in action. And I can speak with more authority about our programs with teachers, parents or board members because of those visits.

How do you fit classroom visits into your already full schedule? Start by creating some sacred moments that can only be interrupted by true emergencies. Use those times to get in touch with the learning process at the teacher-child level and reflect on what you observed.

I begin by asking schools to send me lists of teachers and rooms, along with bell schedules and lunch times, I let principals know when I'll be there, but make it clear that I want to wander around unescorted.

In each classroom I try to write notes about the classroom environment and the interactions between the teacher and students, and between students. I look for specific examples I can mention, and I look for common themes in several classrooms.

I then try to translate my notes into notes for the teachers as quickly as possible, while my memory is still fresh. I send the stack of notes to school principals so they can review them and distribute them to teachers. If I witness major concerns with a teacher or see schoolwide activities that need clarification, I alert the principal.

Gaining insights

The cost of this process? For me, it takes the equivalent of about one day per school, which comes out to less than 4 percent of my work year. In a larger district this might be higher, or you might need to do some schools one year and some another year. But the more regularly teachers see us in their rooms, the less need they will feel to put on a show, and the more realistic our visits will become.

I guarantee that you will gain insights beyond any you can get outside the classroom, and your teachers will see you as more aware and appreciative of their efforts. They might even start thinking of you as a fellow teacher!

Bob Schultz is assistant superintendent, curriculum and instruction, at Eureka Union Elementary School District.