Our new principal does not have a background in science. What can we do to help her understand what science teaching and learning “looks like” and the challenges of teaching laboratory science?
—Charles, Ohio
If their own experiences in science consisted of lectures with an occasional demonstration or video, principals may not understand the concept of inquiry-based learning and how science teaching differs from other subjects. Having taught other subjects, they may be unaware of the science teacher’s responsibility for safety in the labs or security in the storage areas. They may have never considered how much behind-the-scenes work science teachers do (especially when we make it look easy).
You could ask your principal to observe lab classes (for the whole period, not just a walkthrough). When you meet with the principal, describe what students learn from these activities (using students’ science notebooks) as well as the amount of time it takes to set up and put away the materials and read a report from each student, the safety and cooperative learning routines established in your classes, and the fact that the students could not have done the activity in a “regular” classroom without running water, lots of electrical outlets, flat tables, and appropriate safety equipment.
For example, as a middle school science teacher, I worked with a principal who had been a high school English teacher. Before the formal observations he was required to do, he would ask, “Are you teaching today, or are the students just doing an activity?” For a while, I complied with his definition of teaching, and he observed a well-designed, teacher-centered lesson with lecture, discussion, and review. But this was a show–my classes were much more than this.

So once when he asked the question, I said that if he came in that day, he would see a lesson that would show what our students can really do. It was a guided inquiry lesson with the question, “How do earthworms react to stimuli in the environment?” Each team of students had already devised procedures to investigate the question and an outline of how they would organize the data, and I provided the materials they requested (and some feedback or questions about their procedures). When the principal came in, he saw a room full of engaged students working cooperatively and enjoying their investigation. Rather than watching me “perform,” he asked the students about what they were doing. In our post-observation conference, he noted it gave him a new perspective on what students can learn from purposeful “activities” (and the time and resources it takes to implement them).
You could also invite your principal to attend a department or team meeting to discuss some of your challenges. For example, describe the hazards (and liability) of scheduling non-science classes or study halls in lab classrooms. Take her on a tour of your storerooms and show her the inventory of equipment and materials, including the Material Safety Data Sheets you have to keep up-to-date. Describe the security measures you have in place. Frame any suggestions in terms of student benefit and safety rather than teacher ease and convenience.
All teachers use their planning time for writing lesson plans and evaluating assignments. But science teachers have additional demands. Sometimes principals see how organized you are and don’t realize how much time and effort it takes. Keep a log of the amount of time you spend setting up your labs, including time before and after school. Also log the time spent inventorying and maintaining the storage areas, repairing or servicing equipment, and complying with local and state regulations. If you ask for more planning time, emphasize it would be used for the additional responsibilities that come with teaching science (and then be sure that it is).
Share some resources with your principal. The website Understanding Science has a section called “Everything You Need to Know About the Nature and Process of Science”  that could bring her up-to-date on what good science teaching includes. You could share copies of NSTA’s position statements “Learning Conditions for High School Science” and “Safety and School Science Instruction.”
In all fairness to principals, they are expected to be both building managers and instructional leaders. We can help them with both of these jobs. After observing several science investigations, my principal asked teachers in other subjects if he could observe non-traditional activities in their classes, too.
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/throgers/4461828586/sizes/q/in/photostream/