What It Takes To Be A School Head With Good Leadership
By: Jocelyn R. De Guzman
Not everyone is meant to be a principal. A school principal’s day can be long and stressful. You have to be organized, solve problems, manage people well, and be able to separate your personal life from your profession. If you cannot do these things, then you’re not fit to be a school leader.
It takes a remarkable person to deal with all the negatives that you have to deal with as a school leader. You listen to constant complaints from parents, teachers and pupils. You have to deal with all kinds of discipline issues. You attend virtually every extra- curricular activity. If you have an inefficient teacher in your institution, then it is your job to make them better, if your test scores are low, it is ultimately a reflection on you, and that you need to do something to improve the performance of your learners.
For those teachers who want to become a principal, the following steps must be taken into consideration to reach that goal:
- Be a classroom teacher for a certain number of years depending on your position to be qualified to take National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH);
- Gain leadership experience, look for opportunities to sit on or chair committees. Attend different trainings related to school leadership and management. Every bit of experience and knowledge will help to prepare you of becoming a school leader;
- Earn Masters Degree;
- Be an NQUESH passer;
- Apply for the position by means of joining the ranking.
Once you get the position, the real fun begins. No matter how well you feel you have been prepared, there will be surprises. There are new challenges and issues that will arise each day. Never get complacent. Continue to search for ways to grow, do your job better and make improvements.
The most essential skill of an effective leader is to coach others and support their development. He must be fair, just and kind, should have mutual confidence and mutual respect with the teachers. Criticisms are given tactfully, considerately and with a spirit of helpfulness. A good leader fosters the morale of the teachers, set up attainable goals and shows the way on how to reach them. A strong leader is highly professional in attitude and possesses most of the desirable traits of an administrator… geared towards a teacher’s fruitful teaching profession.