School leaders spend a considerable amount of their time in problem solving mode. There are those problems that leaders create ourselves through their own actions or the change initiatives that they are either leading themselves or requiring of others. Added to this, are those problems that emerge from factors beyond the control of school leaders. […]
Tag Archives: #communication
The problem of presenting a ‘deficit model’ to teachers
One of the greatest challenges, I believe, facing school leaders today is the doom and gloom in education. There is so much material out there about what is wrong with schools and what we are not doing. We are often faced with so many problems, all of which are appear urgent, in a society where […]
Circumvention without a conversation – what it means for school leaders
Going around someone in order to ensure that something gets done is not uncommon in most workplaces, including schools. Yet it can create significant issues for school culture and challenges for school leaders wherever they may be in the hierarchy of operations. People circumvent when they feel the person in front of them is blocking […]
3 ways for keeping parents informed and involved in our schools
Ask teachers about how they feel about the parents in their school community and responses will probably be wide-ranging. We have heard of the ‘helicopter’ parents, the ‘tiger moms’ and those parents who make life for teachers, well, inconvenient. On the other hand, some teachers feel that a number of parents are not interested, have […]
Breaking down the ‘Admin’ problem in our schools
How many times have you seen problems schools where teachers say something like, “the ‘Admin’ need to do something about that,” or, “that’s the fault of the ‘Admin’”? Too often and conveniently so, teachers are quick to use the term ‘Admin’, which is not particularly helpful in solving problems and can have a detrimental impact […]
Turning off distractions, being more focused and getting your momentum back
Being a productive and effective school leader requires a positive mindset and the motivation to do our very best each day. I found that over the last 12 months that the mood I was bringing to school each day varied significantly. It was not that I had got bored with my work, quite the contrary; […]