Aug 12, 2021
Although the pandemic has seriously affected communities in general and schools in particular, we’re still learning about its huge impact on so many aspects of our roles as principals. What has become a vital part of the principal’s responsibility is the mental health of the school’s stakeholders.
The country’s health resources have been prioritised for fighting the pandemic. Mental Health, which, earlier commanded only 5% of the health budget, has, like other disciplines, been severely affected by the crisis. I’m not qualified to comment on any medical issue, but I simply want to support principals in raising awareness and making classrooms and staff-rooms warm, welcoming, and caring spaces which provide learners and teachers with some solace, sensitivity and understanding.
And it’s not just the pandemic. Principals will testify to the textbook case of chronic stress which is best described as a weight which children carry with them and can’t put down. It’s the unemployment and poverty, the daily hardships, and the neighbourhood gangsterism – the significant suffering which seriously affects schools in underserved areas. The mental health of learners, teachers and principals has become a local school issue – a huge one. And as always, like the Mom in the Family, the principals are the lead-solvers in this crisis.
Medical professionals should be treating depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder – so prevalent among us all – but many hospitals and clinics have very limited or no mental health practitioners. In any event, fearful people stay away from health services at this time.
What can schools do? They can make their staff fully aware of these challenges and work to foster meaningful relationships between staff and learners. The current alternate day attendance reality is an opportunity for teachers to better interact with learners as individuals and to teach coping strategies. Schools can work closely with the WCED’s existing social services; they can try to access any official free care available and develop public private partnerships with hospitals, doctors, and psychologist practices. They can consult the many government and institutional websites which offer resource toolkits for teachers and parents.
All over the world we’re learning that the Covid-19 pandemic has made it harder for learners to learn. They’re often distracted by anxiety and have trouble concentrating or retaining new information or just remembering things. They feel tired. One high school Mathematics teacher, preparing learners for prelims, told me this week that ‘it feels that in some way they have got lazy’. These are critical issues, but they are best handled in the schools of principals who lead and in the classrooms of teachers who care.
In pre-pandemic times we would talk about a school being a haven for vulnerable learners where they could be safe as well as feeling that they belong, that they and their context are known, and that their efforts are recognised. Today principals are using a similar vocabulary in describing the caring climate they need to create for their teachers. Given the inequalities, the declining resources and the longstanding early backlogs in basic literacy and numeracy, teaching is a stressful profession. We need to accept that many employees in other sectors have been much more adversely affected. Principals who are changemakers know that wellness, openness, and gratitude work, but the very best medicine for teachers’ mental health is the development of a growth mindset towards teaching and learning. Those small wins crop up again and again.
Obviously, if the principal is responsible for the health of the school community, it would help if the principal were healthy. That’s challenge number one. You’ve certainly had enough practice in uncertainty, stress and trauma. The principal’s role is so complex right now. Perhaps it’s best to remember the age-old phrase ‘many hands make light work’. A fully functional leadership team – my colleague, coach Keith Richardson would add ‘with a very detailed organogram’ – makes for a good school and a healthy principal.
If you want further frightening detail and reason for developing a local school response, read:
‘Mental Health and Covid-19 in South Africa’, Siphelele Ngusi and Douglas Wassenaar, May 2021 in South African Journal of Psychology
Till next time.
Paul (Coach/Mentor)
Principals Academy
Keeping in Touch in Tough Times, #24 of 2021, 12 August 2021
Aug 6, 2021
You may remember a previous letter entitled, ’How would you like to work for a boss like you?’ Never forget to put yourself in the shoes of others, whether a troubled teenager or a member of your team who is taking strain or hurting or even just captured by a clique. Treat others, especially your team, the way you would want to be treated. Be open. Rather say what needs to be said. Sooner rather than later.
How do you unify a school management team? You lead them with purpose, sincerity, inclusivity and openness. People don’t naturally work together as a team; they have to be led to achieve a collective standard. You’re the principal. You have to have a vision even if it’s as simple as leading teachers and teenagers to achieve their true potential. It can be much more ambitious than that in terms of how systems, technology and data will help you, but your team wants to know where you’re going, why, when, and how. Strive for clarity in articulating what you envision. Only when they buy in and trust you and each other, do you have a team.
In a school sense the principal and deputies often work together as the school’s executive. Again, this can only work in an atmosphere of trust where the rest of the team are only too happy not to attend these daily meetings because they are busy leading their own phase or grade teams. Yes, daily! The very best schools take the business of leading seriously.
I mention inclusivity because team members want to feel part of management by knowing what’s happening. Keep them informed on an on-going basis. They will feel excluded when they are not ‘in the know’. Communication and consistency go hand in hand as the trademark qualities of a functional school. Your management team should be working with you; alongside you, not for you.
One thing that unifies a team is the meaningful contribution by each member. Each one should be able to report regularly on phase or grade issues and assessments. Get the one who is a little shy of committing to assist a hardworking deputy in a particular project. Don’t hesitate to include others from outside the SMT helping to get something done. Looking ahead as a team is also important. Look at the coming week and the coming month.
Remember that to be unified school teams must be led continuously. Stop pushing and they stop moving. The more school specialists actively leading on a daily basis within your school, the more chance there is that teachers and learners will perform better. Make a point of ensuring that teaching and learning feature prominently on the agenda at every meeting. These core function issues are often moved down the list because they involve some serious homework in terms of collaboration, book checks, data collection and learner support. If you want your school to focus on better reading and writing skills, then you need a unified response from teams and teachers. Unified means everyone’s involved in setting achievable goals, sharing resources and reporting progress. Get one grade to show the way and then share insights with all.
An aside or two. Our TV screens have highlighted Tokyo for two weeks. We all wondered how an Olympic atmosphere would be created without spectators. Well, while the stadiums have been empty, we have been captivated by the intimate moments of the individual athletes and their performances, irrespective of medals, and how the emptiness has been filled with the sounds of the athletes urging each other on and celebrating personal bests. Treat your staff as athletes in training each with their professional bests to better. Create that performance enhancing atmosphere in which teachers can share their successful moments. Fill your staffroom with the sound of teachers urging each other on and celebrating personal bests.
The Springboks take on the British and Irish Lions in a decider tomorrow after coming back with such style last Saturday. Siya Kolisi is recognized internationally as a heroic leader and he showed his leadership on the field by making the most tackles including a try-saving, series-deciding one and by just being a huge presence. But, in the post-match interview, he made the point that his was a team of highly respected and experienced leaders, and he named each key leader within the team and thanked them for rising to the occasion and executing their part of the game plan. Stronger together, indeed.
Till next time.
Paul (Coach/Mentor)
Principals Academy
Keeping in Touch in Tough Times, #23 of 2021, 6 August 2021
Aug 2, 2021
It was a great relief to watch the children making their way through the school gates last week. They greeted their classmates with such joy that it made me realise yet again how much they have missed the contact and interaction with children their own age. I also noticed the relief on the faces of many ‘covid fatigued’ parents! I hope you were able to use some of the time to rest and regain your strength after an exhausting term.
We start this new term on a slightly better footing with many educators and school support staff having received their vaccination. What we now have to do is pick up the pieces from the very abrupt ending that we had to deal with last term. Many of you might still have been completing assessments when you suddenly had no learners at school. Before we can move on, we need to tie up the loose ends that were left unfinished.
I do believe we have all become more resilient in these ever-changing times and we’re able to cope with the sudden changes more calmly than we did before. It’s the uncertainty that causes us anxiety. By reminding ourselves that we’re one of millions of people who are uncertain about the future, it becomes easier to shed some of the anxiety we feel. The most important task we have now is getting ourselves and our learners back on track so that quality learning and teaching can take place.
The children have not been in a formal learning environment for a few weeks and getting them back into classroom mode is not going to be easy. It’s crucial that we find ways in which we can balance work and other activities that we need to get through in a school day
Keep in mind the children’s need to move and have short brain breaks during the day in order to fully engage with what you are teaching them and to process new information. This might mean small adjustments to your daily programme. You need to be flexible and take your cue from the learners. If you are struggling to hold their attention, take a quick break. Move on to something different and come back to the original lesson at a later stage. We often find that, after clearing their minds for a few minutes, children are refreshed and can once again pick up where you left off. This is going to require some creative and ‘out of the box’ thinking – nothing you haven’t had to do before. Remember, completing a section of work enables us to put a tick next to it but it means nothing if the learners haven’t mastered it. We need to make every effort to ensure that quality learning is taking place. The learners need to be able to take the knowledge and use it meaningfully before we can tick it off.
Our learners watch our every move, and they learn so much from our interactions with them and from observing our interactions with others. These different times are a perfect opportunity for us as adults to model things like problem-solving, flexibility, compassion and kindness. For some of the children you teach, you will be the only adult to model these skills for them. We are, after all, educating the whole child.
The term ahead is not going to be easy, but we need to see the glass half full and make the most of the contact time we have with each and every child. We can’t allow ourselves to become so concerned about the fact that the children aren’t at the level we know they should be that we lose sight of the way forward. Don’t look backwards – that’s not the direction we should be moving in.
Let’s take our inspiration for this term from a very wise man –
It always seems impossible until it’s done – Nelson Mandela
Have a good week and an even better term.
Jenny (on behalf of)
The Teachers’ Support Team, Principals Academy Trust
Jul 30, 2021
Tough times. That’s a phrase I use to preface every letter I write because the principal’s office has certainly been a tough space in the last 16 months. The toughest leadership test – is the title of an article by three international McKinsey partners to help CEOs embrace micro-habits which can prove effective in the heat of a crisis. I’m using their insights to support school CEOs, many of whom have already changed their mindsets accordingly. Sadly, many others have been paralyzed by the enormity of the challenge facing schools in underserved communities. Those with ineffective management teams or systems which are not sufficiently functional or poor communication strategies have been the hardest hit by the crisis. There are national rescue initiatives, but they require each school, led by its CEO, to develop its own local response within every classroom.
Developing the right micro-habits – daily routines and ways of working – can help CEOs seize the moment, stay ahead and take care of themselves in these difficult times. Even after more than a year there is much uncertainty.
A primary school with Grade 1s attending on alternate days and making up for months of lost time has a whole new purpose, and the CEO, who simply has no choice but to qualify himself as a foundation phase expert, must articulate that new purpose clearly day after day. And not just articulate, but implement and supervise. CEOs need effective deputies and department heads more than ever, but there is simply a more intense level of direct CEO leadership and communication required right now.
In these times of Covid confusion, teachers wait for principals to take the front-line lead. School CEOs will be remembered for how they acted and reacted in tough times. Be aware of what you say and do. Your community is taking careful notice. And it’s not just your teachers that are watching you lead with an adapted style and with new priorities: the Covid-school CEO’s leadership is carefully scrutinized by wider community, by partnering organizations and by districts.
Furthermore, a CEO’s personal sincerity and physical presence are also monitored. There have been many opportunities for compassionate leadership with so much illness, loss and anxiety.
The best CEOs report that their team’s cohesion has been absolutely critical. Some team members have come to the fore as leaders with initiative and with the ability to stay calm under pressure. Shorter and quicker team meetings with a focus on operational rather than general issues should be happening multiple times per week. CEOs, have hopefully learned to voice and to show their appreciation at every opportunity. Of course, the true leader is looking beyond the daily detail, thinking and planning ahead. Times of crisis are often the opportunity for accelerating change. If your teachers are teaching as before, you are missing a huge chance to move your school forward.
Key to leading in tough times is taking care of yourself. It is fine to admit that you sometimes feel powerless and unprepared. Find new simple ways of replenishing your energy and your spirit. Perhaps an unthreatening and supportive afternoon call to your mentor can help clear your mind. Don’t forget that exercise is a tested way to restore energy. Don’t create your own lockdown. Ensure that you break out of your isolation with a good friend, with another principal with whom you can share and with an unwavering commitment to established routines with your family. And remember, the best way to lead a balanced professional life as a principal is to stay close to the children. Chat to more than a few every day.
In adapting this article I’ve used the title CEO to describe the modern principal, but I can’t help thinking that Headteacher is a more appropriate appellation for a school leader. It’s a value-laden title which connects the community and the office to the classroom in a way which emphasizes the art and craft and science of school leadership.
Last week I was inspired by a principal who, having completed her preparations for the new term, designed her own screensaver as a daily reminder. It read:
Note to self: When things feel overwhelming, remember:
- one thought at a time
- one task at a time
- one day at a time.
In turn she inspired me to share this article with you.
Paul (Coach/Mentor)
Principals Academy
The Toughest Leadership Test, May 28, 2020, Homayoun Hatami, Pal Erik Sjatil and Kevin Sneader (all McKinsey partners)
Keeping in Touch in Tough Times. #22 of 2021. 30 July.
Jun 18, 2021
The term ‘glass half full’ is used to refer to an attitude of seeing the positive in a situation – in other words an optimistic outlook. On the flip side we have the ‘glass half empty’ attitude where one only sees the negative side of a situation – a pessimistic outlook. Are you a ‘glass half full’ or a ‘glass half empty’ person?
Being an optimistic person in a negative world is challenging but optimism is a choice. It requires us to work really hard at staying positive and taking others along with us. We need to change our way of thinking and ensure that we remain strong against the negative forces within our workplace or home. Being positive is also a natural motivator. For us to successfully negotiate our way through the challenges of our daily lives during this pandemic, we need to find things that lift our mood and make us feel more positive.
A good place to start is to recognise negative thinking and to see the difference between it and genuine challenges that can be managed. Constant negative thinking or pessimism is a roadblock in our path moving forward and we find ourselves not being able to see a way around it.
A pessimistic attitude can be very draining, and such people often find themselves sitting on their own in the staffroom as their colleagues don’t have the energy to expose themselves to this negativity day in and day out. Very often our attempts to discuss their negative approach are also waved off. If you find yourself being drawn into a negative situation, make an effort to remove yourself. Pessimism is also a choice – one that is not going to help you get through these challenging times.
I have found that focussing on what I am grateful for has helped me to keep seeing the glass half full. I try to find at least one thing every day that I am grateful for. I’ll admit that some days I have to dig deep, but there is always something. I’ve also found that it has made me look at my life with new eyes and I’ve realised that it’s really the small things that keep me positive. It’s an exercise that I challenge you all to put yourself through – you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you find makes you happy and positive enough to get through a difficult day.
Encouraging your colleagues to see the glass half full will improve the mood in your school and will make it a far more productive place. Encouraging your learners to see the glass half full will make them feel motivated and determined to keep on trying. Each time you acknowledge a learner’s effort, you top up their glass a little. This works particularly well with learners who are facing an uphill battle every day – in the classroom or at home.
Children are inclined to lose hope quickly and will give up trying for fear of failing in front of their classmates. By constantly encouraging them to reflect on what they have already achieved will make them realise that the glass is indeed half full.
Guiding others and yourself to see the positives in a particular situation will ground you and make you look at the problem sensibly, taking all factors into consideration. It also helps take the panic out of a situation which we all know just causes more chaos. Being overly positive and unrealistic can become a problem though, and people will find it hard to follow your optimism. Think carefully about how you approach and deal with what faces you so that this doesn’t happen. Always be realistic.
Helping others to see the glass half full means that you need to be a good listener too. Be aware of what is being said and done around you and be cautious not to let your optimism downplay a problem that someone else might view as very important. Rather help them to find the positives. You will be empowering them to see the glass half full and they’ll feel encouraged to start doing so on their own.
How about putting an image of a half full glass on the noticeboard in your staffroom as a reminder to everyone who enters to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. A constant reminder might do the trick and you could find that others start feeling more optimistic rather than bringing negativity to your staffroom every day. Remember, to encourage others to develop an optimistic attitude, you need to reflect this attitude yourself. You’ll be a happier person and a lot more pleasant to be around.
I leave you with this question: Is your glass half full or half empty? The choice is yours. Have a great week.
Kind regards
Jenny (on behalf of)
The Teachers’ Support Team, Principals Academy Trust
