A school functions smoothly if everybody is pulling in the same direction. If there are universal standards and responses the students know where they are and what will happen if they do certain things. If the rules or boundaries, punishments and rewards, are applied differently in different classrooms it can result in students taking advantage, playing people off against each other or becoming confused.
The Head sets the tone. People who disagree either need to be brought into line or removed. However, everyone should have the right to be listened to and their arguments weighed up and everyone deserves respect and clear answers and instructions. Heads cannot be draconian despots. They need to have a degree of flexibility.
Excerpt – A passion for Education – The story of a Headteacher
Those who are not buying in need coaxing, re-educating, telling or getting rid of. This is why you hold training sessions, meetings and apply your management skills.
Most important is that the students are educated in the way you want them educated, treated how you want them treated and valued and respected in the way you want them respected and valued.
Nothing else matters.
The problem is that people don’t always agree with their managers, feel strongly that they know better than those above them, can be awkward, emotional, lazy, argumentative or plain bloody disruptive.
They have to be brought on board.
The greatest weapon, if weapon I can call it, is praise. Every one of us has a seat of insecurity inside us. Everyone, no matter how old, tough and experienced likes to be told they are doing a good job. Simply by going around praising the things people are doing well inspires them to do more of the same even better. You don’t even have to mention the things you are not so keen on. They rapidly learn what they are being praised for and work accordingly. They work to please.
Children, teachers, grounds-men, office staff and Head teachers are all the same. We are animals. We love to please. Praise fills us with a warm glow. It makes us feel good. In my opinion you can’t get too much praise and recognition. It’s how you train dogs, tigers and elephants. Indeed every animal on earth responds to reward. Negative reinforcement, in the form of punishment or admonition, is nowhere near as effective.
There is nothing more infuriating than working your socks off and nobody notices, or, even worse, the boss takes it for granted, or worse still – claims it as his or hers. That is guaranteed to create resentment and it has happened to me on more than one occasion.
So rule number one – tour smile, praise, listen. By focussing and rewarding the good things the focus shifts. By downplaying the not so good things those bad things become fewer.
You set the tone.
People pick up on the small things.
To reinforce the positive it is important to set up a system of rewards and recognition for staff to make them feel valued.
One idea I was working on was a termly reward, a box of chocs, for the member of staff who was doing one of my pet things best i.e. The prize for the member of staff who had the most positive relationship with students this term is ……….. I held back on this as I thought that it could create jealousy and resentment. But it would be a public recognition of something I held dear and the focus could be changed termly. It might have been worth a spin.
You can’t beat the boost a little note and a chocolate placed in a pigeon-hole can make, or a silly email, a phone call, a beaming smile, word of praise, a personal special visit. They are as important as the policies themselves.
For those whose efforts were ineffective there was always the maxim ‘Don’t work harder – work smarter’ according to the wisdom of Mr Jones who was frequently heard to repeat the phrase at every opportunity. It made sense though rarely seemed to alter people’s behaviour. Some people were doomed to repeat the mistakes of their methodology and were impervious to suggestion.
It works exactly the same with students. Your personal smiles, comments and general announcements and assemblies make them feel loved and valued.
This is the oil that makes the machine operate smoothly.
This was the part of the job that I loved and gave me most reward. There was nothing contrived or insincere about it. It was the element that came naturally.