Admin attitude
Admin attitude
Here is a two-part question: why are there so many administrators with humanities background? How can a teacher-turned-administrator be so vicious, vengeful, and manipulative to his former ilk fully knowing the demands of teaching? Most of the ones I worked with had a single point agenda of moving up the career ladder bashing anything coming in their way.
Response
First, 1) STEM ITs are too valuable in the classroom to move into leadership. 2) STEM ITs dont have as developed the social, personal and 'soft skills' for leadership. 3) The primary reason for ascending to leadership is more coin, and STEM ITs usually have better paying options outside of IE, whereas humanities ITs dont.
Second, 1) They dont handle power very well. 2) They have passive aggressive anger to vent. 3) They werent really invested in teaching to begin with (they were lazy and think everyone else is). 4) They feel threatened to prove themselves as having the hard mentality needed to make the tough decisions. 5) They have mental health issues ranging from depression too being socio/psycho-paths. 6) They have to obey what ownership wants and directs them to do. 7) They werent really trained, educated or prepared properly for what leadership is (they think leadership means telling people what to do). 8) Theyre the type of person who works well with kids but not grownups. 9) Immaturity and/or Incompetence and/or Ambition. 10) Its not them its you.
Second, 1) They dont handle power very well. 2) They have passive aggressive anger to vent. 3) They werent really invested in teaching to begin with (they were lazy and think everyone else is). 4) They feel threatened to prove themselves as having the hard mentality needed to make the tough decisions. 5) They have mental health issues ranging from depression too being socio/psycho-paths. 6) They have to obey what ownership wants and directs them to do. 7) They werent really trained, educated or prepared properly for what leadership is (they think leadership means telling people what to do). 8) Theyre the type of person who works well with kids but not grownups. 9) Immaturity and/or Incompetence and/or Ambition. 10) Its not them its you.
Re: Admin attitude
RE: Humanities - too true. Although I've had quite a few ex-Science teachers as admin too. The Science ones have tended to be the better ones - or at least my favorites. Saying that I've had some good Humanities ones too. (Does Geo count as a Science or Humanity?) Math is rarer, but they've also generally been pretty good.
Very few Languages (A or B) or Design / Arts admin though. Had quite a few PE back home, but not since coming overseas.
As for your second question, I've found that the ones who are good at their jobs aren't at all like that. It's the insecure ones that are. Bit like teachers, I guess. I've also been lucky over the years to not have come across too many.
Very few Languages (A or B) or Design / Arts admin though. Had quite a few PE back home, but not since coming overseas.
As for your second question, I've found that the ones who are good at their jobs aren't at all like that. It's the insecure ones that are. Bit like teachers, I guess. I've also been lucky over the years to not have come across too many.
Discussion
My worst ones were the ones with no education background or experience aside from at one time they were students, they were business guys from management backgrounds. I did have one though who came from a business background who was okay, mostly because he spent a lot of time fundraising and schmoozing with parents (he had a private business outside the IS), he really only got involved when there was a crises and left most of the day to day tasks to the HODs.
Re: Admin attitude
To be fair (for once) to admin, I've found the number one determinant of how they behave is how they themselves are treated in the school. If the owners are money grabbing control freaks, then they will either toe the . line or end up leaving within three or so years. They might even try battling against the system for a while before realizing that it's hopeless and therefore pick their battles. Some will try and shield their faculty as best they can but most soon understand their role. It takes a very strong leader to change such a dynamic and it takes time. I'd say most attempts result in the admin being sacked.
It's a rule of thumb, but seems to have some merit.
If the school allows them to be supportive and, above all, leaders then you can see the real capabilities of admin, for good or bad. Very often though (and especially in for profit schools), they know the job they were hired for. They aren't always the real boss, nor the power behind the throne...
It's a rule of thumb, but seems to have some merit.
If the school allows them to be supportive and, above all, leaders then you can see the real capabilities of admin, for good or bad. Very often though (and especially in for profit schools), they know the job they were hired for. They aren't always the real boss, nor the power behind the throne...
Discussion
I concur, Ive written numerous times that leadership works for ownership, and you dont last long in leadership not doing what ownership wants. While ownership can be just as malevolent as leaders, the vast majority of leadership know what job they are signing on for, and everyone in edu reports to someone.
Re: Admin attitude
I have a lot of experience in IS and now am working in my home country in a non IS. This concept of school heads having an attitude also applies in many cases here. In particular, in schools that are highly sought after by parents (for them to enrol their students) or by teachers to work in (good location, good conditions, nice working environments, lots of resources, motivated staff)---school heads can, after some time, become so cocky that they believe they are so AMAZING that everyone is seeking them out that if anyone is critical of them in any way at all--'There is the door.' Because in many cases, there is a queue of eager teachers seeking work behind that person who justifiably has a valid critique of how things could be done to improve the education of the children at the school...so it's also the nature of being in a position where you are granting jobs to people and either renewing or not renewing their contracts.
Fortunately, where I live teachers have permanency and cannot be removed or transferred easily. Gaining that permanency is not easy and in today's climate is very rare in many areas. However, if you cross certain school heads, they can make your life a misery so most people just keep the head down and do their work and don't make a fuss---even if that fuss would be in the best interest of the students.
The difference in the IS (from my experience in 3 schools) is that there is no concept of a 'permanent teacher/admin' and everyone's job is under the knife annually or for shorter/mid-term contracts so everyone is willing to kick the people lower than them on the ladder to climb it.
Fortunately, where I live teachers have permanency and cannot be removed or transferred easily. Gaining that permanency is not easy and in today's climate is very rare in many areas. However, if you cross certain school heads, they can make your life a misery so most people just keep the head down and do their work and don't make a fuss---even if that fuss would be in the best interest of the students.
The difference in the IS (from my experience in 3 schools) is that there is no concept of a 'permanent teacher/admin' and everyone's job is under the knife annually or for shorter/mid-term contracts so everyone is willing to kick the people lower than them on the ladder to climb it.
Re: Admin attitude
Goddess wrote:
> In particular, in schools that are highly sought after by
> parents (for them to enrol their students) or by teachers to work in (good
> location, good conditions, nice working environments, lots of resources,
> motivated staff)---school heads can, after some time, become so cocky that
> they believe they are so AMAZING that everyone is seeking them out that if
> anyone is critical of them in any way at all--'There is the door.' Because
> in many cases, there is a queue of eager teachers seeking work behind that
> person who justifiably has a valid critique of how things could be done to
> improve the education of the children at the school...so it's also the
> nature of being in a position where you are granting jobs to people and
> either renewing or not renewing their contracts.
True, on the other hand these "valid" teachers with their "justifiably" certified reasons are often few and far between. More likely is that they have been in the job a few months and want to tell all the school what they are doing wrong/how it was better in their previous school. Whiners that tend to be on their way after one contract. Perhaps they blame the director because they don't like their gender/fit/nationality/age and so on.
In most cases, those that identify areas in need of improvement and attempt to provide solutions which can do so tend to do well. One is whiner, one is an improver. It can be a difficult balance between the two but those that keep plugging away tend to be accepted and make a difference in their own way.
I'm not disagreeing with you per se, just providing a counterbalance. I'm not admin, nor never want to be, but just want to provide a bit of balance.
> In particular, in schools that are highly sought after by
> parents (for them to enrol their students) or by teachers to work in (good
> location, good conditions, nice working environments, lots of resources,
> motivated staff)---school heads can, after some time, become so cocky that
> they believe they are so AMAZING that everyone is seeking them out that if
> anyone is critical of them in any way at all--'There is the door.' Because
> in many cases, there is a queue of eager teachers seeking work behind that
> person who justifiably has a valid critique of how things could be done to
> improve the education of the children at the school...so it's also the
> nature of being in a position where you are granting jobs to people and
> either renewing or not renewing their contracts.
True, on the other hand these "valid" teachers with their "justifiably" certified reasons are often few and far between. More likely is that they have been in the job a few months and want to tell all the school what they are doing wrong/how it was better in their previous school. Whiners that tend to be on their way after one contract. Perhaps they blame the director because they don't like their gender/fit/nationality/age and so on.
In most cases, those that identify areas in need of improvement and attempt to provide solutions which can do so tend to do well. One is whiner, one is an improver. It can be a difficult balance between the two but those that keep plugging away tend to be accepted and make a difference in their own way.
I'm not disagreeing with you per se, just providing a counterbalance. I'm not admin, nor never want to be, but just want to provide a bit of balance.
Re: Admin attitude
MartElla wrote:
>
> True, on the other hand these "valid" teachers with their
> "justifiably" certified reasons are often few and far between. More likely
> is that they have been in the job a few months and want to tell all the school what
> they are doing wrong/how it was better in their previous school. Whiners that tend to
> be on their way after one contract. Perhaps they blame the director because they
> don't like their gender/fit/nationality/age and so on.
>
> In most cases, those that identify areas in need of improvement and attempt to
> provide solutions which can do so tend to do well. One is whiner, one is an improver.
> It can be a difficult balance between the two but those that keep plugging away tend
> to be accepted and make a difference in their own way.
>
> I'm not disagreeing with you per se, just providing a counterbalance. I'm not admin,
> nor never want to be, but just want to provide a bit of balance.
Agreed!! In my case, I was brought in as a subject expert in a new field. It's an area that's very new in the country where I live. Despite having academic qualifications, experience and being hired to specifically build this programme and the fact that no one in the school (or the country at large) had any experience in this area---there was still a lot of pushback from the HOS because he was so unused to being guided in any way about anything. But I do agree with you...nothing worse than someone coming in and saying, 'In my old school we did it like this ...' Context is everything and those people are very annoying! By the way, the STAFF themselves were hungry for CPD in the area of expertise I could offer but the HOS was simply unable to accept he didn't know it all already because he read an article in a newsletter. :roll eyes:
>
> True, on the other hand these "valid" teachers with their
> "justifiably" certified reasons are often few and far between. More likely
> is that they have been in the job a few months and want to tell all the school what
> they are doing wrong/how it was better in their previous school. Whiners that tend to
> be on their way after one contract. Perhaps they blame the director because they
> don't like their gender/fit/nationality/age and so on.
>
> In most cases, those that identify areas in need of improvement and attempt to
> provide solutions which can do so tend to do well. One is whiner, one is an improver.
> It can be a difficult balance between the two but those that keep plugging away tend
> to be accepted and make a difference in their own way.
>
> I'm not disagreeing with you per se, just providing a counterbalance. I'm not admin,
> nor never want to be, but just want to provide a bit of balance.
Agreed!! In my case, I was brought in as a subject expert in a new field. It's an area that's very new in the country where I live. Despite having academic qualifications, experience and being hired to specifically build this programme and the fact that no one in the school (or the country at large) had any experience in this area---there was still a lot of pushback from the HOS because he was so unused to being guided in any way about anything. But I do agree with you...nothing worse than someone coming in and saying, 'In my old school we did it like this ...' Context is everything and those people are very annoying! By the way, the STAFF themselves were hungry for CPD in the area of expertise I could offer but the HOS was simply unable to accept he didn't know it all already because he read an article in a newsletter. :roll eyes:
Re: Admin attitude
Go to a big enough school and the HOS won't really give a damn about things as unimportant as CPD. They tend to leave that to the curriculum director/IB coordinator/whoever in the relevant part of the school.
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shopaholic
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Re: Admin attitude
Interesting. I've noticed a great number of PE teachers-turned-admin. These have their own set of issues in "leadership."
Comment
Within IE the greatest concentration of leadership Ive experienced came from social studies/humanities.
In IE a lot of PHE ITs like being ITs, they wouldnt trade it for an office and a spinning chair. DE is different, lot of leadership comes from PHE.
In IE a lot of PHE ITs like being ITs, they wouldnt trade it for an office and a spinning chair. DE is different, lot of leadership comes from PHE.