Schools can be very funny places – even without kids. In our area a group of local schools get together each year for a conference before term starts to share ideas and to inspire each other for the year ahead. A wonderful time when we can embrace teachers from competing schools as one of us – comrades in arms. Except it never works out like that.
Schools are political (with a small p) in a way that (surely) no other industry is Grassroots teachers like myself aren’t the problem – we love the chance to get together to bitch about red tape, bureaucracy and our respective leaders. It’s our respective leaders who act like playground bullies fighting turf wars. It happens everywhere but never more so than in our town where the schools are in each other’s backyards and, as such, are forced to work closely together. One big partnership – except who’s the senior partner?
Candidates include the:
Grammar School Principal – excellent credentials and has the advantage of highly motivated high achieving school population behind him. Loyal and supportive parents are another plus. On the minus side some elements might believe that a large, successful school like his don’t need to work with minnows like the rest, let alone lead a partnership.
High School Principal – Publicity hungry and innovative he is the most vocal of the candidates. What his school lacks in academic excellence is made up for by his eagerness to jump into any pilot scheme going. He loves being a guinea pig and the education board love him for it.
Special School Principal – Lacks many of the restraints imposed on bigger players. However system is a little removed from what the rest are used to. Not really big enough to weld much influence.
Catholic School Principal – Excellent communicator who has the ability to act as a mediator style leader. Lacks ambition though and is happy to watch the rest fight it out.
In reality we can really concentrate on the main players, the grammar and high school principals. One has just finished his stint as chairman of the partnership and passed the role on to the other – grudgingly. What makes this battle even more interesting is the fact that these two men obviously don’t even like each other, never mind get on.
And so I return to our little conference – I watch the two of them (each with their respective lieutenants by their side) trying to adjust a data projector for a PowerPoint presentation. Neither of them satisfied with the way the other has it set up. Each trying to prove himself master of even the little things. I picture the two of them as alley dogs fighting over a used chip paper. And I smile because I know this image will get me through another very boring conference.
Schools are political (with a small p) in a way that (surely) no other industry is Grassroots teachers like myself aren’t the problem – we love the chance to get together to bitch about red tape, bureaucracy and our respective leaders. It’s our respective leaders who act like playground bullies fighting turf wars. It happens everywhere but never more so than in our town where the schools are in each other’s backyards and, as such, are forced to work closely together. One big partnership – except who’s the senior partner?
Candidates include the:
Grammar School Principal – excellent credentials and has the advantage of highly motivated high achieving school population behind him. Loyal and supportive parents are another plus. On the minus side some elements might believe that a large, successful school like his don’t need to work with minnows like the rest, let alone lead a partnership.
High School Principal – Publicity hungry and innovative he is the most vocal of the candidates. What his school lacks in academic excellence is made up for by his eagerness to jump into any pilot scheme going. He loves being a guinea pig and the education board love him for it.
Special School Principal – Lacks many of the restraints imposed on bigger players. However system is a little removed from what the rest are used to. Not really big enough to weld much influence.
Catholic School Principal – Excellent communicator who has the ability to act as a mediator style leader. Lacks ambition though and is happy to watch the rest fight it out.
In reality we can really concentrate on the main players, the grammar and high school principals. One has just finished his stint as chairman of the partnership and passed the role on to the other – grudgingly. What makes this battle even more interesting is the fact that these two men obviously don’t even like each other, never mind get on.
And so I return to our little conference – I watch the two of them (each with their respective lieutenants by their side) trying to adjust a data projector for a PowerPoint presentation. Neither of them satisfied with the way the other has it set up. Each trying to prove himself master of even the little things. I picture the two of them as alley dogs fighting over a used chip paper. And I smile because I know this image will get me through another very boring conference.
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