Henry J. Kaiser has a good words about problems: According to him, “Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.” Relating this to the topic at hand we can say that problems can bring us opportunities to learn. At first glance, one can say that problems encountered may bring disappointments, stress and worries. But wait, take a look and listen what Gini Graham Scott, author of the best seller book The Empowered Mind says about problems. According to her. we all encounter problems, for teachers it can be with a co-worker, with the school administrator, with stakeholders or with the children she/he is teaching in the school ,but the difference lies on dealing with the problem/s successfully or unsuccessfully and it is summed up in one word—Attitude. She further explained that the key to success is a positive, constructive response. If you see the problems as challenges and stepping stones, you can find possibilities in your problems and deal with them productively. For example, with a positive attitude, you can turn a setback at work or the loss of a job into the beginning of a new career. you can transform a conflict in relationship into a learning experience that will lead to a greater understanding and intimacy. You can find ways to profit and grow from a bad experience
Scott explained in her book, some techniques that will help teachers to find ways to turn these problems into opportunities, for new professional growth and success. By means of these techniques, the individual can be less-burdened. These are the following: 1) Find the good in a bad situation; You might feel relieved once you try this technique. 2) Learn from your problems—discover new directions and find ways to shape your future life based on the problems you currently experience, and 3) profit from your problems—find ways to gain rewards tomorrow from something difficult that happens to you today.
On the other hand, Gary Marx in his book Future-Focused Leadership emphasized that old unsolved problems can accumulate and overtake us from generation to generation, inhibiting our ability to shape the organization to fit within an entirely new social landscape.
Whatever position you are holding in an organization, you are part of it, the staff, faculty, school administrators—in fact anyone who serves an organization—are all part of its program. Some might play some specialized roles, others the low key personnel, however, the school principal must include or consider everyone in his/her goal- setting, planning or even in decision- making. Everybody should be involved in an organization or in a particular school. All should be involved in discussing root causes to help understand the origin of problems success and opportunities.
References:
Gary Marx. Future-Focused Leadership. Published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Alexandria VA, USA. (2006)
Gini Graham Scott. The Empowered Mind. Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs. NJ, USA(1995)
By: Romer M.Valencia | Teacher III | Bonifacio Camacho National High School Abucay, Bataan
