Contact us | RSS
Posted on 05/5/2010 10:06am
I am currently on sabbatical investigating opportunities ands issues for sole charge and remote schools and was most interested to read both this article and Jeff Hayward's sabbatical write-up. Seems there is a strong case for more support for remote, sole charge principals. My catch-phrase is 'staff' not 'stuff'. We get delivered truck loads of 'resources' but don't have the time or staff to effectively implement even our own curriculum let alone all the add ons!
Posted on 06/5/2010 1:36pm
I am also on sabbatical investigating the changing face of small rural schools. I look forward to reading the rest of this article.
Posted on 06/7/2010 7:53pm
I found this article resonated with me after a term as principal. The feeling of being vulnerable is linked to the acknowledgement of my own fallability. If a wounded leader can overcome feelings of defensiveness and the physical and psychological hurt of the wound, then learning can take place. I look forward to being able to reflect on these times.
Soon after being elected for the first time, a board member begins his tenure by criticising the procedures and systems of the board and school. He makes direct contact with the principal, demands information from the office staff, and makes life difficult for other members of the board. The principal is at a loss to know what to do.
A teacher disagrees with the findings of a performance management observation (PMO) undertaken by the assistant principal. The principal and assistant principal are certain that the findings of the observation are accurate. They insist that the findings of the observation stay on the teacher’s record. The teacher had been involved in a number of disputes with the school management in her years of employment. She had been difficult to work with and the school principal was tired of her behaviour.
Posted on 14/2/2010 4:40pm
It might well be that this example of 'not agreeing to follow a Ministry-prescribed programme of work' could have led to a negative student experience, but generally speaking, 'not agreeing to follow a Ministry-prescribed programme of work' isn't necessarily a bad thing. It reminds me a little of the Marsden/Kendall dispute in 1815 that broke out with CMS regarding the very first Euro style school in NZ. I think Kendall (teacher) got it right and CMS (the governing body of an education mandate) was wrong. It was a classic case of the teacher having a clearer sense of what was 'best' under the circumstances. By the way, I'm not interested in opening a philosophical or creedal debate - I simply felt like posting a comment.
< Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 ...297 | Next >
