Misleading the Schools

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?