4.3.3 Narrative of Mr Hot Introduction
I have an interest in informing you about my development in the education fraternity since my appointment as a school Principal. I manage and lead Township High school. I would like to take you through a journey of great experience. I head a quintile two ranking school which is deprived in many ways. The school is located in a multiple deprived context with many social ills that affect our learners. We have an enrolment of approximately 1022 learners and I lead and manage a staff of 38 educators which includes members of the management team. Although the school is multiple deprived it is producing very good results.
My background
I grew up in a deprived community like this one. I will start from my family. I grew up in a deprived home. My father was a general worker and my mother was a domestic worker. My granny was a domestic worker too. We did not have much of anything that is luxury for us. My family was deprived and the only thing that we were taught is to go to school to be better people. So, that motivated me and triggered the value of education in me. That also encouraged me to become a leader and to aspire to be a manager as I am a manager at this point in time.
I started leading even when I was not in a strategic leadership position. I ensured that everything was in order at school. I would communicate with the School Management Team (SMT). I would also communicate with the School Governing Body (SGB) and the educators of the school. I would motivate learners. I would design programmes which enhanced learning. I would communicate with other stakeholders from all walks of life, in universities and all tertiary institutions. I also communicated with the private sector, businesses, Non-Profit Organisations (NPO’s) and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO’s) in order for me to be able to make my school a successful school.
Wider –community involvement
Other than being a principal, I have many other structural positions in the community. These positions equipped me with and enhance my leadership skills and qualities which I utilize while leading and managing the school that I am serving in. I serve as a Public Relations Officer (PRO) at my church. In that I have gained skills and I have also acquired some knowledge of
problems of the community or the society in which I serve. I am able to understand where these kids come from, which are in my school. I am able to sympathise and empathise with them and also, I am able to identify their problems and deal with those problems. So, serving in the community, it helps me a lot in understanding how to lead and manage the school which is placed in a multiple deprived context. It enables me to gain resources from other stakeholders and not only rely on the department of basic education to give me the norms and standards but also to go out to look for sponsorships and other resources which are going to assist our school.
The new me
I am now a much-matured person. I have developed in many spheres that contribute immensely to the way I professionally lead and manage the school. I am now able to solve difficult problems that I come across on a daily basis. I have been exposed to many educational policies which I knew before I became a school principal through formal education doing my teaching qualification, these educational legislation and policies have enabled me to understand human resources, labor and operational matters. These statutes have empowered me because I am able to efficiently manage the school. I have also been developed through meetings, workshops and seminars conducted and initiated by the Department of Basic Education. These programs have sharpened my leadership skills and qualities. These seminars and workshops have capacitated me to be able to provide staff development in the school so in return professionalism and ethical conduct are always maintained by my staff.
Life- long learning
I have also decided to further my studies, as I speak I am reading for my Masters. I have also joined a group of successful principals in the district where we have formed Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Communities of Practice (CoPs) to be able to share our experiences, challenges, accolades and attributes in which we reflect on these experiences and shape our own practices when carrying our duties and responsibilities in our schools. I have also developed a good working relationship with other stakeholders, community leaders, non- government organizations including the private sector in which I gain assistance in number of resources which benefits our impoverished school.
Exemplary leadership
A leader is someone who demonstrates what is possible. The key here word is ‘demonstrates’, because for me that is a very important identity of a leader. You must never expect your followers or the people you are leading to do things that you yourself have failed to do. Before you ask or expect others to do something, start by showing them how it is done. If I say to my teachers I want a file done this way, I show them my file. In essence what I am saying is that as a leader you must lead by example. In most cases you must lead from the front, show the teachers and learners the way. You cannot preach about punctuality but as a principal you are never punctual. When you are a leader, the people are more likely to replicate what you do and not what you say.
Mentoring
As much as I said as a leader you must lead from the front most of the times but sometimes it becomes necessary to lead from the back. You must have that flexibility. Sometimes you must take a step back and let your followers walk before you. See how well they implement your teachings with you by the side or at the back. Sometimes you need to capacitate the people under your leadership to be able to lead also, when you eventually hand over the baton. You do that by giving them the practice while you are still there and available to mentor and guide them. Real leaders create other leaders. There must be a growth in the school.
Inspirational
Further to that, ‘a good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill the love of learning’. I consider my job to be that of an inspirer. When I address the kids and the teachers, they must find inspiration in the things that I say. I must make them visualise the vision I have for the school. Most importantly I must make them love being here. When they come to the premises of the school hopeless, they must leave full of hope because of the things I say and do. That is what I call being a leader.
Passionate
I love my job. I love being a teacher. I love being a principal. Actually, it more than just loving it. I am passionate about touching the lives of the young ones. They say, if you love what you are doing ….you will never feel for a moment as if you are working. Yeah, because you are
Life lessons from swimming
I am not only a workaholic but I am also a sport fanatic. More particularly, I like swimming.
At an early age growing up in the rural area, me and my friends we used to go down in the rivers and dams to swim. While growing up we used to race during the swimming process and most of the times I would become the winner. I grew up liking the idea of swimming. When I was in high school I took up swimming lessons. I got acquainted with this sport. One thing that I have learnt from this sport is that you are supposed to be disciplined. Because our coaches there, they value time. When we talk about swimming, one thing that it has taught me is time management. That you have to be on time. Because when you race in swimming they give you a certain amount of time which you have to be able to finish. Swimming has taught me discipline and time management.
Conclusion
I believe leading or being a principal is like driving a car on a freeway. As much as it is called a freeway, you are never free in the full sense of the word free. You must still be considerate of other people with whom you are sharing the road. You can still anticipate accidents that are going to stop you or slow you down as you drive or that may even make you change the direction. You must always be prepared for all those eventualities. I take the school as my household. The people in the school, I take them as my family members. My brothers, sisters, children etc. I ensure that I listen to them. I listen to whatever issues that they have and I address them. I support them in all and whatever they do. Because as I mentioned before that we are working in a multiple deprived context; it is very difficult for us to function in that environment.
We need to work as a team. We need to support each other. We need to complement each other’s leadership qualities and management styles. It is very important for us to work together, also to take decisions together. I am collegial in my approach whenever we have challenges or encounter problems.