Sharing Good Practice
Whose side are you on?
By Hendrik Flier
W
e all want the same thing
– the very best education
for our children and future
generations.
Looking
beyond primary and secondary
education, we all support a vision for
lifelong learning. While schools and
teachers are expected to achieve this,
parents also have to share some of
the responsibility. It’s time for us all to
become a team, not adversaries.
The idea of working together is
not as simple as it sounds. Schools
are complex organisations with a
wide range of stakeholders with
varied goals and interests. While
parents are focused on the progress
and individual results of their own
children, teachers may be driven by
the need to meet annual targets and
percentages. And, while teachers look
for a decent salary and an attractive
employment
package,
schoolboards are guided by budgets and
resources. The result? Parents can
feel neglected and isolated. Teachers
can feel demotivated if, despite their
best efforts, they are seen as failing
to meet the required standards. Also,
the school board can be so focused
on taking control that they fail to
engage with parents and teachers on
a personal level.
We
are
all
highly
educated
professionals with a shared passion
for learning and education. So,
how can we work together, accept
our differences, follow our shared
passions, and achieve our mutual
goals?
The answer is by sharing.
We need to share goals, share
successes, share failures and, most
importantly, share leadership. How
do we achieve this? Quite simply by
aligning goals and processes that help
to build a commitment to excellence
in education at all levels. From the
management board to the larger
school community, everyone needs
to be working towards a shared vision.
We need to see actions not just words
from all sides. In short, we all need to
walk the talk.
Students are expected to experiment,
make mistakes and reflect on them
– and so must the teachers and the
school board. Teachers are expected
to accept the failures and struggles of
students – and they must accept the
failings of the school board and parents
as well. By working in partnership, we
can all help to provide the very best
education for every student.
It’s important to create an environment
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Class Time
where it is recognised that no one
is perfect. In my experience as a
manager, I start by telling a team about
my weakness, rather than what I expect
from them. I put my heart where my
mouth is and invite them to question
or criticise me. If they do, I’ll then listen
and explain why I did what I did. The
outcome? We all learn something from
looking at any situation from various
different perspectives.
The school board has a responsibility
to introduce an inclusive and
supportive work environment where
all stakeholders can feel valued and
accountable. While it’s still very
important to have a hierarchy in
place, we need to review teachers’
and parents’ ability to participate
in decision-making . We need to
encourage discussion and dialogue
between stakeholders in all aspects
of the education, from management
and staff meetings to parent meetings
and board reviews. There needs
to be a wider forum for discussing
disagreements, explaining decisions
made, and encouraging change.
So, let’s end the frustration and start
to champion change. Accept your role
within the education system, focus
on what you can actually influence
and achieve, and help to lay the
foundations for a brighter learning
future.