Do you have any suggestions for a brand-new science department chairperson?
—Derek, Chillicothe, Ohio
First of all, congratulations on assuming a leadership role in your school! This is a wonderful opportunity to share your expertise and to learn from others.
One of your more visible tasks will be to facilitate meetings. We teachers complain that there’s no opportunity to collaborate, yet without any leadership these meetings often degenerate into gripe and gossip sessions. Send out an agenda prior to the meeting (and cc: the principal). Use e-mail or an attachment to the agenda to communicate information items so that the meeting time can be spent productively. Have non-negotiable agenda items that reflect your department’s goals (in areas such as curriculum, instructional strategies, grading policies, data analysis, safety, technology applications, parent communications) and stick to the agenda-unless a really great discussion is happening. Set aside a few minutes to recognize new issues or other concerns. Celebrate any successes or accomplishments, too, and some munchies might be appreciated at the end of a long day. Be respectful of time. Give people a few minutes to tidy up their classrooms, but start and end the meeting at the designated times. Send meeting minutes to all members of the department and to the principal to keep him/her in the loop. If meetings in previous years were seen as a waste of time, you may have to be persistent to let people know that things are going to be different.
Does your role include supervising teachers? Observing your colleagues in the classroom and offering suggestions add a different dimension to the role. If your state requires an administrative certificate to do formal observations, be sure your credentials are in order. Even if you don’t formally supervise teachers, make yourself available to assist and answer questions. Rather than giving advice or mandates, ask questions to start discussions: What happens when…? Have you ever tried…? Did you notice that.…? Get to know the curriculum and state standards for areas of science in addition to your own so that you can ask meaningful questions. And listen to your colleagues. Sometimes they just need to think out loud.
Your responsibilities may also include ordering and organizing textbooks and other instructional materials for your department. But in science, this responsibility also includes laboratory equipment and materials. Maintaining expensive equipment, securing potentially harmful materials, keeping current MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets), and promoting laboratory safety are all part of your domain. NSTA has some great resources on safety and science facilities that should be part of your professional library.
Some department chairs do this as a labor of love, but don’t be afraid to ask about compensation. Many districts have stipends or supplemental contracts for department chairs. Others may give department chairs a reduced teaching load or fewer duties.
Don’t let the job overwhelm you or take excessive time away from your own classes. Work with your department to develop a prioritized list of goals, but don’t try to do everything at once. Keep a log or journal of what you do and the time you spend, and reflect on what you’re learning.
As a new chairperson, you may run into some resistance from teachers who are used to the old ways. That was my biggest challenge. I wanted to please everyone, and I was not being successful. My mentor was a very wise principal who told me that some people aren’t happy unless they’re complaining about something. He helped me to realize that my primary responsibility was to the students.
Perhaps our colleagues would like to share comments about their challenges and successes as department chairs. Good luck!
Some resources you may find helpful:

• MSDS – What’s It All About? — an article from the April 2006 Science Scope
• Go to SciLinks and use the keyword safety for a list of websites related to safety in science classes
• Guide to Planning School Science Facilities, Second Edition is available in both electronic and print versions
• Assessment in Science: Practical Experiences and Education Research has some great tips for supervisors and department chairs.