Smoke and Mirrors

My professional association, the NAHT, like many others runs CPD courses.  Naturally at the NAHT these are concerned with developing leadership skills.  Imagine my surprise when, in their recent mailing containing a list of forthcoming courses, I read this:

…a highly participative course that draws on a range of techniques including NLP and Jungian psychology as well as the latest research in leadership and management theory.

Since this course is titled Heading fo Headship of Independent Schools, I am now feeling somewhat inadequate!  In order to be the Head of on Independent School am I required to brush on my Post-Freudian, Neo-whatever psycholanalysis?  Well, I suppose it beats having to do NPQH!

I love Louis Jordan. I especially love the lyrics in this fantastic song.

03 Hungry Man.m4p

As a governor at Flamstead Village School I have become involved in the development of our travel plan.  To this end our Deputy Head has sought to introduce a Walking Bus.  Below is a map of the process to get the project of the ground & hopefully sustaining it.

It intrigues me, the process of getting projects up & running.  I am used to the process within school: working with teachers, persuading senior management, etc.  However, this project crosses the boundary between teacher & parent.  It is an initiative devised by the school yet one which can only be implemented and made sustainable through the activity of the parent body.

Now I know, as a teacher, that parents can be very reluctant to become involved in school-based projects which require the sharing of a vision and change in habit.  So I will try to follow the following guidelines:

1. Recruit the right support
2. Make sure the parent body see that the project works
3. Keep a low profile!

I don’t believe that any project can be sustainable for the whole school if only one person is seen to be the lynch pin.  And it is this aspect that will be the most challenging & interesting to report back upon.

John Sutton has written about work that he has done at Green Park School.  It is becoming increasing clear to me that we are approaching a point where blogging & web 2.0 applications are become used as everyday tools for sharing teaching & learning.  Just having a look at the Edublog Awards list is something of a marvel! 

Moving to Edublogs.org is a curious event. I’ve been blogging for a few years now and have a fairly successful set of School Blogs at BCPS (thanks to Peter Ford).  My own personal blogging has largely revolved around adventures in web 2.0 and investigating all the bells & whistles that can be applied to a blog!  Now I feel that it is time to blog with a purpose and lay out a coherent set of thoughts on the professional task that I have set myself: to be a good head teacher.