General News
22 October, 2025
Walk in the shoes of a Wimmera principal
Even with the most carefully planned schedules, principals know once the day starts, it can quickly turn into an unpredictable mess.
Being a principal requires more than just sitting in an office chair. It requires the capability to be nimble and adaptive to any challenges that may arise on a day-to-day basis.
Ever wonder what it might be like to be a school principal? How would you spend your days?
Here’s a deeper look into Megan Woolford, the Horsham College principal, and her purposeful yet passionate career.
“I started as a teacher in 2011 with Horsham College being my first job,” she said.
“After working for a while, I saw opportunities within the school to improve things for both students and staff.
“When it comes to education, particularly government education, I'm very passionate and willing to commit.
“I've always loved learning and making changes for students for a very long time.
“That’s what led me to the unfortunate yet rewarding decision to partially give up the classroom, but it's the part of the job that I'll never want to step away from fully.”
Miss Woolford opened up about the classes she teaches, a duty not many principals take on at a school of Horsham College’s size.
“At the moment, I teach maths, but I'm a bit of an enigma, I suppose,” she said.
“Technically, I'm maths, science, German, and humanities trained because I got a double degree at university, because I just love learning and couldn't decide what I wanted to do.
“But at the moment, I've got two math classes, which I love being out to take classes, and it's why I became a teacher to help learning”.
Miss Woolford’s workday starts well before staff and students arrive.
“On a typical day, I arrive at work by 7.30-7.40am and make a coffee,” she said.
“The reason I'm at work nice and early is because it helps me set up for the day.
“It's really important to make sure that I'm set up so I can be both strategic with my time because there are times when I need to be unavailable, when I take a class, for example, but also when I have meetings.
“This is why I make sure I'm really utilising my calendar a lot, so that way I know when I've got different things on, but also recognising that schools can be somewhat unpredictable in terms of what comes up and what happens throughout the day.”
Miss Woolford’s busy days tend to be well structured, but flexible enough to take on challenges.
“I’d say about 70% of my day is planned because I am a big fan of the calendar, with the other 30% unexpected,” she said.
“The best way for me to handle any unexpected problems or emergencies is by remaining calm, ensuring important tasks still get done even if things don’t go as planned.
“I organise my work in a priority matrix, ensuring the important tasks are scheduled where they should be.
“I’ll typically balance my time in and out of the office by deliberately scheduling time for moving out and about around the school.”
After school, after all the students have gone home, Miss Woolford is still nailing her tasks.
“Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are meeting nights for me, so that's for an hour after school,” she said.
“There are different meetings that I need to attend. That could be curriculum-based, leadership-based, or a principal class.
“I then also make sure that I spend a bit of time walking around to different offices to see different people, to check in to see how their day was, but also to encourage people to go home because the life of a school teacher is never done.
“There's always more that you can do.
“So to help people have a work-life balance and to be able to, you know, make sure that they're using their time well to step away.
“And sometimes, sadly, it is also following up with teams about some poor choices that students have made.”
Miss Woolford explores the major events she needs to incorporate into her daily schedule throughout the year.
“So there are particular times of the year where I have lots of meetings, or because while we're one big school, there are also a lot of schools in this network and in this region and in this area,” she said.
“There are different ways in which my time gets used in those spaces.
"One of the groups that I meet with every fortnight is principals from schools in the Warrnambool area, so that's Warrnambool, Hamilton, and Portland.
“We make sure that we set up a network of principals to help support large schools. There are also network meetings, so that's when I meet with principals from around the Wimmera to work on what things we need for our context.”
The principal’s role incorporates more than just discipline and pedagogy.
“As a principal, I have to oversee budgets existing within the school’s finances, ensure all OHS policies are being obeyed, and manage staff and hiring,” Miss Woolford said.
“But ultimately, everything that happens within the school has to come back to me.
“For students, staff, and parents, I ensure I'm easily approachable, living and breathing school values.
“And during conversations, I’ll always make sure to listen carefully and make the most of them.
“I am quite open to ideas, as well as giving and receiving effective feedback, and I greatly appreciate acknowledging the work both students and staff do.”
Miss Woolford said one of hardest things to do as a principal is finding a balance between work and life.
“It’s really getting ready to switch off completely and leave previous school days in the past, allowing for appropriate rest for the days ahead," she said.
The same goes for her staff.
“The reality for my staff is, I know, and trust my staff that the work that needs to get done will get done," she said.
“What I consider a balance is when you can actually navigate your space so that you're not navigating your time and so that you're not giving up too much in either of those spaces.
“If that means 90% of the time, you can get 90% of what you want and need to get done, that's a good balance.
“It’s something that I'm really passionate about because I want people in this job for a long time, because I know how enjoyable it is, and for me, it's still too easy to come to work every day, no matter how hard it is.
“I want people to find that as well, but it is a job that's never done; you can always refine and strengthen and improve.
“But it comes from a place of dedication, people, you know, try to put in those long hours, but I think it's dedication without discipline around work-life balance.”
Miss Woolford wraps it up with what makes her job one of the most fulfilling.
“The most rewarding part of being a principal is when you see students being successful,” she said.
“That might be an improvement for students, and their learning, or an improvement for staff, for example, when I see them get their results back after teaching a challenging unit, and they can see that improvement in student learning.
“When I see exits to work, or finishing Year 12, it’s exciting to know the student is set up for their life and that you’ve played a role in affecting that person's future.
“It's just such a rewarding moment when you can be a small part of that success for a young person, it's brilliant.
“For anyone interested in entering leadership, it is absolutely rewarding, but certainly far from easy.
“My advice is that it’s not the results that matter the most, but supporting others to be the best version of themselves.”