I would like to contribute to the forum on the issue of Headmasters. I first would like to say that I feel this forum is long overdue as a medium for teachers to discuss international school administration. As I read the recent (Feb. 2008) TIE articles written in response to the ISR website, there were times I had to bite my tongue. TIE is part of the root of the problem, along with ISS, Search Associates and other similar organizations. These are largely staffed/headed by previous international school heads, and due to this, are at least in some measure seeking to protect their own. Many of the people in these organizations flow in and out of international school head positions and organizations such as the aforementioned. Case in point - look at the Feb. 2008 TIE advertisement for the Principal's Training Center (PTC). Note that it also lists the names of the school heads from member schools. Why is this? You can bet that the school heads listed didn't pay anything out of their own pocket for their school to be a PTC member. So why in the world does TIE list their names? There is an easy answer for that. The TIE heads are in the business of making international school heads happy. You can bet my school's head is happy every time his name shows up in the TIE. Why should it be there at all? No answer necessary.
I, personally, applaud the owner of ISR. I appreciate your willingness to offer this forum for communication of all kinds, regarding international schools. While there will undoubtedly be some dishonesty displayed in print on this site, there will likely be a whole lot more truth. Yes, isn't it ironic that TIE can criticize ISR.com as dangerous due to the anonymous nature of most information posted, yet the writer of that particular editorial doesn't even include a name? Indeed ironic! It is about time teachers had a forum to express their opinions. School administrators are part of a "club" who meet regularly to discuss their experiences. You can bet that the names of teachers frequently are mentioned during these encounters, especially since alcohol seems to flow quite heavily at them (yes, a few issues back my school head was in two photos, and only two photos, both of which he was holding a bottle of beer - I found that amazing). I will post again, no doubt, but let me share with you my experience of 18 years in international education and six headmasters:
Head #1: This guy had no business being in education. He was a tyrant. I personally was offered under the table money by him. He frequently did special favors for people who "kissed-up" to him. After working for him for 3 years, he tried not to pay departing benefits to me and 2 other teachers, while he did pay them to teachers who had been at the school for one year or less. While we all had the same one-year contract, these short-timers had been recently hired through ISS. ISS was forcing him to pay, and even though all our contracts had this stated benefit, he tried to not pay those of us leaving who had been there longer than one year. He feared ISS, but didn't have the integrity to honor our contracts. Amazing!
Head #2 (same school as #1): While I did not have the same experience with him as I did with #1, the following did happen. I saw it with my own eyes. He had an affair with one of the local married female teachers. I saw him, with my own eyes, sneak into the sleeping room of this female teacher while we were on a school retreat. Tell me, what is a school head doing at 12:30 AM going into a female teacher's room? This is the same woman who just shortly thereafter, quit mid-year once her husband learned about it.
There was another story like this, and a police report to go with it, but I will save that one for another time.
Head #3 (new school): A qualified headmaster. Hired his unqualified/uncertified wife to be a principal. Had a habit of promoting uncertified friends into administrative positions. People who openly told me that they "need to stay close to Mr. X, so they can get moved up in the school." Had the Board reverse one of his promotions, only to turn around and rewrite the job description so the friend could qualify for the job. Never mind that several other qualified candidates lost out on the position. This guy openly lied to the school board at meetings that I attended. For a while we, the teachers, were banned from attending Board meetings! He was fired. But after a couple years back home relaxing, he managed to get an even higher paying job doing what he did in his last post.
Head #4 (same school): Another tyrant. He was, and likely still is, rude and abusive. Openly gave some benefits to SOME teachers while denying them to others. Had horrible personal skills. Example: After not seeing him for weeks, and after a 3 week Christmas holiday, he came up to me and just started asking questions. Not a "hello, how was the holiday?" Nothing like that at all. He needed to take a long vacation. He did, for 2 years, then went back out to do it all again in another international school.
Head #5 (new school): A genuinely nice person. I would work for him again. Not everyone agrees with me, but I feel I am fair-minded, and this man was honest. I only had the pleasure of working for him for one year.
Head #6 (same school): Another nice person. Although, he is gone far too much and in my opinion, spends far too much of the school's money flying business class wherever he goes! But, he is sincere and a fairly good leader. He has done well to support his teaching staff and continues to do so.
So, there you have it. Some good and some bad, but believe me, the bad ones (1-4) were pretty bad. If you take my experience as representative of what most people experience, you end up having had too many horrible school heads as your boss. Four out of six in the "really bad" category isn't a very positive report. I am interested in what others have to say, so please feel free to add to my "report."
To TIE, ISS, and Search Associates, isn't it about time you hired some people who really have it in their minds to serve teachers equally as well as you serve schools (Heads)? Stop defending and start exposing, and then perhaps, all international school administrations worldwide will really do what they should do.
Six Heads in 18 Years...
Re: Six Heads in 18 Years...
I have been teaching internationally for a number of years and have been amazed with what (I use this pronoun very intentionally) gets into leadership positions in international schools. The majority of my experiences, like yours, have been quite bad. I have seen behavior and actions that have gone beyond just poor leadership. I would describe some of the directors I have worked for as mentally ill - and I'm not suggesting that all those who are mentally ill are hateful people - and completely lacking empathy for others, including students. I don't usually discuss these individuals with people (teachers AND non-teachers) who I know because I imagine that what I would describe would sound crazy. What I don't understand is why this is the best these international schools can do. How do they get so desperate? How do some of these administrators keep getting jobs? In most cases, from what I've seen, these crazy ones do not have positive effects on enrollment. Quite the opposite. But then you find out they've moved on to another international school.
Re: Six Heads in 18 Years...
Oh, and I once tried to solve a problem with a director of a school I'd left with ISS. He violated my contract and stole thousands of dollars owed to me. I gave them evidence of my concerns, but they told me they couldn't help me. I will never attend another ISS fair.