I wonder what the teacher will look like this year (Van Halen)

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

Teaching is vastly different to the profession I entered forty years ago (1983 - New Plymouth Boys' High School).

Computers, the internet, a variety of apps and learning platforms, AI, 24/7 access to great professional development, anytime/anywhere learning. That's just a few that immediately spring to mind.

The skills required to be an effective teacher are all the ones there have always been, plus a vast new set of skills required because of those things I've listed.

I'm quite glad I started in 1983, rather than 2023. Bureaucratic demands have multiplied exponentially over those 40 years.

Students haven't changed much though. Some teenagers still test the boundaries on a daily basis and the peak engagement years remain Year 7 and 8. Teacher guilt is still alive and well too (I could have taught that so much better, am I reaching everyone? etc etc).

And leading a school is still an almighty challenge - let me assure you!

Hey boys, I think I'm getting old (The Hamilton County Bluegrass Band)

Photo by Eduardo Flores on Unsplash

Hi everyone

Really sorry, but I am too knackered to do a blog entry today. I know, right. Slack.

But I had a rough sleep (Jacky thumped me on the back for some reason - she doesn't remember it) and couldn't get back to sleep. So I got up earlier than normal.

Had to be a school at 6.30am to do some prep for a series of meetings starting at 7.00am and then the day just took over.

So here I am, knackered. It's 7.37pm and I've just finished my last school task for the day - writing comments on staff weekly reports.

Out. Done. Spent. Knackered.

Some would like to believe that learning can be done alone, in a tower, with a laptop. But in fact, until we interact with other people or systems, all we’ve done is absorb, we haven’t yet understood (Seth Godin)

Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash

There is a proposal for our global goal for 2024 to be focused on ‘Building High Performance Teams’.

I really like this one as it sounds like it's people focused rather than systems and policies based. Time will tell.

Often the problem with a profusion of extensively detailed policies and systems is that it becomes increasingly more difficult to comply. The potential danger is that the human factor frustrates administrators and then, thanks to the complexity, the propensity for human error becomes a stick to beat people with.

But building high performance teams is, on the surface, a win win. It's positive, it focuses on teams, and it focuses on the local rather than the global, therefore it gets more buy in.

I'm keen to see the detail - such as which strategies may be suggested to do this building, and who the teams are.

Whenever you want me, I'll be around (Soccer Mommy)

Photo by Mark McGregor on Unsplash

As part of my teacher inquiry I'll conclude the analysis of some key words/ concepts:

• Strategic leadership of the CP
• Line-management of the CP
• Mentoring the CP
• Coaching the CP
• Supporting the CP

Today - supporting the CP

Support can come in lots of different ways.

The brief from OSG UK indicates specific support for the CP relates to 'critical incidents'.

A 'critical incident' can be defined as an event out of the range of normal experience – one which is sudden and unexpected, involves the perception of a threat to life and can include elements of physical and emotional loss.

Thankfully those kinds of critical incidents are rare. When they eventuate, such as covid 19 pandemic or the recent Cyclone Gabrielle damage, the support can be challenging to provide. Not always, but often, the support would come post event with an analysis of what happened and what could be done better.

While acknowledging the support role in a critical incident, in reality, 'support' operates slightly differently in Aotearoa.

Being a sounding board for ideas or frustrations and looking for possible solutions is a form of support.

As is being a critical friend. I like to observe staff and students on my campus visits and offer some questions for reflection. Working through the campus culture rubric was another example.

That kind of support isn't really covered by coaching, mentoring, line management, or strategic management.

Summary: coaching and support are the two main purposes of the District Principal role in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Talk less and ask more/ your advice is not as good/ as you think it is (Haiku)

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

As part of my teacher inquiry I'll continue to analyse some key words/ concepts:

• Strategic leadership of the CP
• Line-management of the CP
• Mentoring the CP
• Coaching the CP
• Supporting the CP

Today - coaching.

So far, not much has stuck from the purposes explained in the guide document which is based on the UK model for District Principals.

Coaching can be broadly defined as working with someone 'in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.'

Coaching involves listening to a person, identifying what they need, and helping them develop an action plan. The emphasis is on the person finding the solution, not instructing or leading them.

I like the GROWTH coaching model (there are many variants).

This involves asking a series of leading open questions:

• Goal - what do you want to achieve?
• Reality - what's happening now?
• Options - what could you do?
• Will - what will you do?
• Tactics - how and when will you do it?
• Habits - how will you sustain success?

Compared to mentoring, coaching is more short term, formal and structured, and centres more on specific situations. 

As a District Principal is assigned their Principals strategically (usually geographically) in NZ, the coaching model works best for us, I feel.

Although I may have the same Principals in the next year, the coaching situations are more short term focused, and more formal than mentoring (our Kiwi style is more informal in these coaching moments).

Final post next up on Supporting The CP.

 

Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction (John Crosby)

As part of my teacher inquiry I'll continue to analyse some key words/ concepts:

• Strategic leadership of the CP
• Line-management of the CP
• Mentoring the CP
• Coaching the CP
• Supporting the CP

Today - mentoring.

During my career, I've had a few mentors. Three, actually. These have mostly been older males who I've turned to for advice and guidance. One was a teacher (who remains a mentor after fifty years), another a Principal (who remained a mentor until he passed away), and the third a colleague - a fellow Principal (who was a mentor until he left our school).

A couple of things guided my choice of mentor. One is that I have to have trust in the person to give me that advice and secondly, they need to have that essential experience to be able to provide me with that advice.

In my own experience, it's a great way to learn from the other's experience if the relationship is there, but I'm not sure it can be imposed on people. I chose my mentors is my point.

A mentor's role, as I've seen it defined, is to use their experience 'to help a (usually) junior employee by supporting them in their work and career, providing comments on their work, and, most crucially, offering direction to mentees as they work through problems and circumstances at work.'

Mentoring has an informal aspect to it, and is usually face-to-face. It's more personal, long-term and relationship focused. That doesn't sound like it applies too neatly to the District Principal/ Campus Principal roles. 

Bottom line, I'd be wary of having a mentor assigned to me that I didn't have a relationship with, and so, I'd be wary of being imposed on someone else.

Coaching is what I'll explore next.