This paper examines emotional expression experienced by female principals in the Arab school system in Israel over their managerial careers – role-related emotions that they choose to express or repress before others. I employed narrative methodology, interviewing nine female principals from the Arab school system to investigate expression of emotions in professional life stories that they narrated. Findings indicate that the principals’ emotional expressions differ according to career stage; on induction into principalship, they are stressed, feel threatened, distressed and challenged. As they establish themselves in their role they are calmer, use more humour and more ‘correct’ facial expressions. At a more advanced career stage, they express empathy and compassion, and concern for the maintenance of educational achievements. Understanding principals’ emotional expression at different career stages contributes to the quality of principal-teacher relations in the school.