Skip to main content

Reflections of a 6-Month-Old Administrator

I've been a school administrator for 6 months now and I'm discovering things.

I like teaching young people.
I like bringing these young people into a computer lab and seeing their eyes light up. Even if it's so clearly a rare event in their lives. (Hmm, the administrator in me is scribbling notes.)
I like showing them stuff like how to throw their voice and hearing an improvement in some kids' presentations.
I like sitting in school resource centres.
I like debates, dramas, aerobics before class, march pasts..etc.
I like the Friday potluck brunches in the teachers' staffroom.
I like looking at what a school has and doesn't have and figuring out how to make things better.
I like the hurly-burly of life in school.

I don't like meetings (if they come at least twice a week and it's been thrice the past few weeks).
I don't like scolding people. Adults or youngsters. I prefer the buddy-buddy approach but sometimes instant action is required.
I don't like reports, charts and graphs. Especially if I'm the one preparing it and it's due yesterday.
I don't like marking umpteen piles of papers (especially if I just finished a batch and a new batch is coming in on Monday cos the dept insists we carry out a project of theirs. Yeah I know it's 'for our own good' but..)
I don't like clearing paperwork off my table and having the clerk heave another pile onto it.
I don't like the daily dreary office stuff that runs a school.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Royal Commonwealth Essay Competition 2009

Another great opportunity for our young people to show what they can do! The Royal Commonwealth Essay Competition has four different age bands, 'Classes'. Each Class offers five topics, plus the Commonwealth Question and the Charlton Athletic Community Trust Question. As we hope to reach a diverse student body across the Commonwealth, there are options for both academic and creative minds.  The Competition deadline is 1st March 2009   CLASS A - Born 1990-1992  1400-1750 words  All questions can be answered by writing an essay or a story which explores the topic in an interesting and relevant way.   Can I help you?  Bullying is an issue which concerns young people throughout the Commonwealth. Why does it matter and what can be done about it?   It is 200 years since Charles Darwin was born and 150 years since the publication of "On the origin of Species". In your view, what evolutionary developments are neede...
24 comments
Read more

I've Survived the PTK3 DG44 Course!

I've just returned from my PTK3 DG44 course and my first priority was sleep. But now I'm okay and ready to share info. First off, whoever tells you you don't need to memorize info for the PTK3 level of exam either has never sat for the exam or has photographic memory. I had to memorize the Twelve Pillars (Tonggak12), 16 moral values (nilai2 murni), civil servant ethics code, education ministry ethics code, steps in TQM, and ALL the govt vision aims objectives policies ... (hint: acronyms help). I only wish I'd done this BEFORE I went for the exam course. Second, the key word for this course is APPLICATION. They don't want to hear about the latest discoveries, theories or how long your bibliography pages are. They want to know how you translate govt policy into a plan of action. Third, don't take the assignment (15-25 pages) lightly. First thing to do is understand the question. Next is prepare an answer that fulfils all requirements. I'd advise you t...
9 comments
Read more

Why It Is Frightening To Be A Teacher

Frightening to be a teacher?  Sounds laughable, right?  But I do feel fear when I am in school as a teacher or an administrator.  Some people would call me paranoid but I think it is better to be paranoid than to be in a dock in some courtroom or at a hospital bedside some place. Let me twist a Robbie Burns poem How do I fear thee (O' burden of a teacher)? Let me count the ways... 1. In Loco Parentis In English, that means 'in the place of a parent'.  In legal terms, that means a teacher is expected to be as responsible as a parent for the safety of his or her students while they are within the school grounds or under his or her care.  And they may be liable in the same way a parent would be, where the law is concerned. I attended a course by an IAB lecturer way back in 2000 and listened in horror as she detailed the many different ways I could've been in trouble with regard to the way I dealt with students.  If a rock falls on a student within ...
5 comments
Read more