Aber iton basta kay nagdawat nan sweldo! Although this phrase
is not directly uttered, this can be read through the individual’s performance
and actions in capital letters. When this happens, it is saddening to realize
that the system will become jaded to the point that low performance will be the
norm.
It is terrifying to
realize that such entropy is happening in the educational system where school
heads are delegating much of the work to the teachers who in return cannot
perform their roles well due to overlapping functions.
Educational leaders
play a pivotal role in affecting the climate, attitude and reputation of their
schools. They are the cornerstone on which learning communities function and
grow. With successful school leadership, schools become effective incubators of
learning, places where students are not only educated but challenged, nurtured
and encouraged.
On the other hand, according
to Lathan (2018), poor or absent school leadership can undermine the goals of
an educational system. When schools lack a strong foundation and direction,
learning is compromised, and students suffer. According to a Wallace Foundation
study, “Leadership is second only to classroom instruction as an influence on
student learning.”
The way our learners
are being gauged through the National Achievement Test and even the school’s
mean percentage score show the input of school leaders and teachers. It could
never happen that the output is NOT correlated to the input and processes.
University of San
Diego posits these questions: what makes a successful school leader? How do you
become truly effective as a principal or in a leadership position? While there
is no one solution to successful school leadership, there are certain
strategies, skills, traits and beliefs that many of the most effective school
leaders share.
The school head must
simply CARE. The I-don’t-care mentality is either a product of sloth or
ignorance. Once a person receives his appointment as stated, s/he must directly
understand the terms of reference and the job description. If it is beyond the
individual’s capacity, the person seeks technical assistance to better his
services.
Great leaders find
the balance between foresight, performance, and character. They have vision,
courage, integrity, humility and focus along with the ability to plan
strategically and catalyze cooperation among their team (Tracy, 2017).
To many, leadership
comes naturally and stems from an innate ability to take control of a situation
and seek the best possible outcome for all parties involved. For others, it’s a
special talent nurtured and grown every day.
So why do other
school leaders do not manifest the aforementioned values and traits?
While it’s
understandable that there are limits to what one leader can do, there is still
room for excellence. If we take one thing and work on it until we’re satisfied
it is now excellent, we’ve taken one step closer to overall excellence in our
journey (Cummuta, 2017).
It doesn’t really
matter so much what we choose to do in our lives, only how well we do it.
Why not choose
excellence?
According to Mars and
Moses (2019), exercising leadership skillfully can mean simply asking the right
question at the right moment in the right way. Alternatively, it can mean
remaining silent at the right moment. Or it can mean giving your version of the
“I Have a Dream” speech in front of thousands. Regardless of the scope,
leadership entails inserting yourself in a way that can move a group in a new
direction toward good. Usually such interventions require being an agent of
change. And change inevitably means loss for some people. So those who exercise
leadership will often encounter resistance. And to do that work skillfully,
effectively, and with excellence, one must bring several qualities to bear.
Again, there is this
discussion on commitment and having the right mindset. But then again it is
needed for school leaders to be one step ahead of their teachers. It is
dismaying to see that some of them grope on the writing of observation notes
which is tantamount to instructional supervision.
The question would
then mutate to: Are we hiring the right persons for the job?
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