Education Management: Mentoring and coaching, tools for Whole-school Improvement

I'm two months into the third year of my 'new' role as Curator/Acting/Mentor Principal for the Western Cape Education Department. A role that in every sense has been exciting and rewarding, yet extremely disillusioning at times.

One thing that definitely stands out for me during my pursuit for improvement, which is in essence a fact finding mission, is the power of familiarising oneself with the contextual nuances at play within the organisation, before attempting to change anything. The biggest mistake, I've discovered on this journey, is to make assumptions based on other's perceptions of what is wrong or right within the organisation or what was visible on the surface, either good or bad. In time and with the patience required, the heart of the organisation is exposed. Importantly, if positive change is to be affected, one has to first allow a proper evaluation over time, space and by observing the different roleplayers in action, in order to discover the realities in the life of the organisation.

One doesn't need too much time to identify physical needs or challenges, as a checklist can develop at first glance when it comes to the physical observed in a moment. My personal experience however taught me that this, the observable within the life of the organisation, though important, is a far cry from ensuring an effective and maintainable turn-around. It is that which lies hidden, beneath the surface that need to be discovered first before enduring and effective, corrective measures will bear reward. This discovery sounds far easier on paper than it is in reality. Learning orgaisations are dynamic and each come with a set of immensely challenging characteristics. For one, it involves people of varying levels of diversity, expertise, experiences, knowledge, values, soco-economic realities, commitment, passions, willingness to contribute and maybe most importantly, admitting the need for a positive turn-around and the acceptance of each individual's role in the process.

The characteristics of a team to facilitate this process with maximum results include passion, commitment, tenacity, resillience, goal-drivenness, healthy work ethic, diligence, selflessness and team spirit. In the absence of one or more of these character traits in the majority of the working team, no intervention, no matter how smart will have the desired effect towards a sustainable turn-around.

     "Valuable beyond measure are the team players who are willing to have a look within                        in order to change that which is evident outside as the destructive forces of the      
                     organisation. There's nothing more powerful than a synchronized,
                            needs-based and goal ditected team effort.'
                         

Theater for Life

On Friday, 3 March our learners had the opportunity to experience a live performance of the immensely talented young people of 'Theater for Life'.

This insightful production addresses relevant, contemporary issues like that our youth grapple with in their every day lives both at home and at school. The fact that all of these actors are youngsters, more or less their own age, makes the production so much more real for them. Issues like prejudice, favouritism, sexual abuse, sexuality, peer pressure, parent pressure, etc are some of the themes highlighted in the play.

What struck me was how learners of the four grades (Gr 8, 9, 10 and 12) represented responded to the question and answer session after the play. In fact, it was shocking that only two learners out of a group of 100 could find the courage to respond to the actors' questions after the play. It seems non of them felt confident enough to either ask a question or comment on what they experienced during the play. As I stood there confused and rather disappointed, realising that this was not due to a lack of interest, but much more possibly due to the fear of being made fun of by their peers for attempting to answer in English, although they were encouraged to answer in the language of their choice, or general lack of confidence, mostly due to too little opportunities like these created for them to speak or do this more often.

As I witnessed this, one thought came to my mind, create more opportunities for these young leaders to be exposed to and to portray what they ate capable of if given more opportunities to do so.