Education, looking in all the wrong places

The story is told of a boy who was seen searching frantically for a coin he had lost. It was dark. The boy was down on his hands and knees beneath the corner street light looking for his coin. He was very intent. A man happened by and asked the boy what he was looking for. It went like this: Boy: "I dropped a coin and I'm trying to find it." Man: "Where did you drop the coin?" Boy: "Oh, I dropped it over there," as he pointed to a spot well beyond the area illuminated by the street light. Man: "If you dropped the coin over there, why are you looking for it over here?" Boy: "Because it's lighter over here." Like that little boy, the education decision makers of South Africa, over the centuries, have spent their time and energies - wasted their time and energies - looking in all the wrong places for the answers to education's most compelling and perplexing problems. Rather than looking for answers where the problems are, that is, in the classroom where education takes place, they have been looking elsewhere. In fact, they have been looking almost everywhere else. With what effect? Nothing of substance has changed. That is, the process of teaching children has not changed nor improved systemically in any measurable way. This is a centuries-old dilemma with which education has just never come to grips.

Building School Character 2

Have you ever wondered why so many people have so little confidence in themselves - especially since they have so many skills and talents? Most self-doubt accumulates over a number of years, because as children we are criticized for our perceived weaknesses rather than applauded for our strengths. If you start counting all the negatives a child experiences in a day, year or lifetime, it's no wonder that many lack confidence in themselves. The bad things, the mistakes, the big red X’s are often given more attention." When you as a teacher see good things, beauty and potential in children, and make their strengths "psychologically visible" to them, it’s like magic. They grow to see it in themselves. Whether we're coaching, parenting, supporting a teammate or just being a friend, there is no substitute for genuine compliments. Kids are so starved for compliments they'll do just about anything for one. In fact that's the definition of the word "encouragement" - to "give courage to". The best teachers give out compliments a lot, without even thinking. That's why we will be creating a sense of self-confidence in every student by igniting hope and belief in them every single hour of each day through compliments here at Curro Century City.

School's Character

A school needs to create a character or ethos of its own in order for the learners to identify with the school. These characteristics should be positive and inclusive for growth and traditions of excellence to be established. Lovedale (1824) in the Eastern Cape was a non-racial school which started with 11 black and 9 white children. It was a training institution where book learning and practical application (apprenticeship) went hand in hand. The first Xhosa dictionary was compiled at Lovedale. It was also a school in which values were promoted and where women were educated as early as 1869. Music was an important part of the curriculum. Lovedale was destroyed in 1954 and is now derelict. Healdtown (1854) was developed by Methodist Missionaries. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century it was also a centre of learning excellence. Its list of alumni is impressive and includes former president Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki (President Mbeki’s father) and Robert Sobukwe (the founder of the PAC). It is now derelict. These examples show how tender the life of a school of excellence can be. The powerful people who came from these buildings went on to influence the world, who knows who we have attending classes at the Curro Century City? Think about Curro Century City, and its vision, purpose and the future in relation to excellence in education. A teacher’s purpose is to manage and foster good traditions. A final question is “How do we water our seeds so that they grow into strong and powerful leaders?” Let’s see what we as a staff can grow together. February is a very tough month for both teachers and students. If you pace yourself, you can accomplish everything. Don't worry - everyone feels like they had the toughest workout of their life during the first weeks of school. The best piece of advice I have come up with is to not skip lunch - or breakfast. Many teachers do it; few can keep their eyes open when they return home. Remember to eat regularly during the day. Thanks for the sacrifices made this past month!

Standing up for people

"If we don't stand up for others, who will be left to stand up for us?" - Karen Traviss, author Have you ever worked with someone who defended you when you made a mistake, or, for honest reasons, performed badly on a task? Perhaps she put her own reputation on the line, and defended your actions to a senior manager. Or, maybe, she took responsibility for your mistake herself, or defended you from unjust criticism. If you have experienced this, it probably made a very deep impression on you, and strengthened the relationship you had with that person. What if this is reversed? Do you feel comfortable standing up for your own people in this way? And do you know when you should and shouldn't do this? When you stand up for people, you show that you're "on their side" when they need help. This builds long-term loyalty, trust, credibility, commitment, and morale in your team and it gives your people a confidence boost. It also shows that you are focused on your team's well-being and interests, rather than on yourself. This helps to create a positive working environment and shows everyone that you're a leader worth following. When things go well, you all share the credit and rewards. The same should be true when things don't go well. However, you shouldn't defend your people's actions in all circumstances. For instance, you can end up looking foolish if you jump to the defence of someone who has done something genuinely bad or unethical, and you should avoid defending your people as a way of manipulating them to "pay you back" for your loyalty in the future. Make sure that you stand up for your people when they deserve it - it's an essential part of good management, and it helps to lay the foundations of trust and high morale in your team. Thanks for a successful week, enjoy the weekend!

knock em dead!

Let’s help each other through the first days, and every day, as we work to bring about educational change and do what’s best for kids! For those who don’t know, the principal is at the center of all the relationships between parents, students, teachers, external ideas and arbitrary people. On average per year we face 2,000 interactions per day – that’s what principals encounter. Did you know that as a principal, we feel guilty at the end of the day because we didn’t accomplish everything we set out to? We are addicted to the social aspect of our role and get fidgety in meetings because they’re slow and we crave those personal interactions Nearly every effective educator I have worked with in my career has excelled in the area of interpersonal skills. Although no list of such traits can be thoroughly exhaustive, I do hope that you will peruse those offered below following the first two parents’ evenings. Let’s focus on these human relations skills as we embark upon a noble journey: teaching young Curro people who need and crave our guidance! Be willing to admit when you’re wrong. Be able to laugh (a good sense of humor) and cry (display empathy and sensitivity). Take time to help others. Remember how it felt to be a child. Be able to resolve conflicts between people. Enjoy working with people of all ages. Truly care about others. Realize that you can’t please everyone. Thank you all for your prodigious efforts this week; thank you all for the human relations skills you already possess and practice daily. Well, nearly all of you. Let’s remember the importance of these as we progress through this year. I can’t wait to see you all in action next week! You hold the keys to success for our students; unlock their hearts and their minds. Have an outstanding week and knock ‘em dead (not literally, of course)!

Let’s help each other through the first days, and every day, as we work to bring about educational change and do what’s best for kids! And thus ends the day in the life of a principal. d approaches to improving the school and our relationship. Some articles will be specific and others general enjoy reading and please stay in touch. ) The principal is at the center of all the relationships between parents, students, teachers, external ideas and arbitrary people. 2,000 interactions every day – that’s what principals encounter. Did you know that as a principal, we feel guilty at the end of the day because we didn’t accomplish everything we set out to? We are addicted to the social aspect of our role and fidgety in meetings because they’re slow and we crave those personal interactions

Techno vs the Student Since I was a little boy – and that goes back quite a while –the rapid pace at which technology impacted our lives has raised danger signs. It began with the radio cutting into family time, graduated to television replacing family time, and finally resulted in the computer abolishing it completely. In many different areas of life we began to ask at what point was the human element going to be overtaken by the technological. Interestingly, the one area in which things remained more or less the same was education. Sure the slide ruler was replaced by the calculator (which, in itself, took much longer than it should have) but the blackboard remained at the front of the classroom (changing to a white board does not really qualify as a significant technological advance) and text books still weighed down our students backpacks. The argument could be made that the techno-lag that affects schools is the result of a funding-lag. After all, new technology is expensive. And, while we are frequently willing to go out and spend precious dollars to ensure that our family has the newest and latest gadgets in our living room we feel no such drive when dealing with our child’s classroom. However, this is starting to change. For one, the clear advantages that technology offers simply cannot be ignored. This is certainly true when some of our educational goals include the technology itself, calculators and computers being the best examples, but also holds true regarding the use of technology to enhance the teaching of almost any subject, smart boards being an obvious example. Secondly, since our students relate to their world through certain technological media, it has become worthwhile for teachers to try and relate with such media as well. Finally, as educators come to realize, perhaps more than ever, the need to individualize education, technology seems to offer the tools to allow such individualization. And here the need for caution. We often forget that teaching a child individually, whether in an one-on-one session, or through any technology, does not mean that you are actually individualizing. It is possible that while you are teaching the individual you are not taking the needs of the individual into account at all. (Hence we often speak of differentiating instruction, not individualizing.) Frequently, it is not addressing the needs of the individual student and tailoring instruction to his learning style that is difficult, but rather in ascertaining what those needs are in the first place. Thus, the first step is not in the realization that I must teach each child as an individual, but that I must see each child as an individual. For the former, technology is a blessing, for the latter, a curse. Pupils in classrooms today are the first generation that will go from cradle to graduation as digital natives. That's why classrooms have to evolve from non tech to high tech. Here’s what I tell Principals who want to know why they should invest in digital technology for their schools' classrooms: "imagine if your colour television at home was taken away and replaced with a 28" black and white model from the fifties. How would you feel and how would it affect your enjoyment and absorption of your favourite programmes having to watch them on a small size monotone screen?" That's the effect that today's digital-using pupils feel when they walk into a classroom with ink marker board presentation, or worse chalk! Some of them have higher technology in their pockets or at home than they work with in their classrooms. That’s no good. However good and inspirational a teacher may be, they are made even better by having digital presentation and resources to support them in their classroom. Technology doesn't replace teachers; it's the teacher's slave to use as they see fit. Schools that don't get this (yet) and aren't making the investment are greatly disadvantaging their pupils. Classroom technology needs to be the number one item on the budget application list. There's no turning back! In past posts I have lauded the educational possibilities presented by some of the newer technologies. However, if they remove our focus from the child that lives within the student, they should be abandoned. The human element in all we do should never be minimized, this is all the more so when teaching children. Let’s make sure we never forget this simple truth.