Leading a school is indeed a challenge. It involves challenges which leaders should hurdle to ensure the realization of the school’s vision – mission for the pupils and the community. With the enormous task at hand, coupled with voluminous paper works, a school head has to stand up to the nature of the position and always be mindful of some qualities which can be of great help in performing the task at hand.
School heads should be competent and confident. Teachers abhor heads who pretend to be competent. These are the heads who do not delegate works, but rather, they dump the tasks to the teachers. Such attitude is seen on heads who do not take an initiative to learn but use their positions and title to get people to work. Worse, they grab credits from those who really worked hard for the attainment of the goal. Lack of competence produces lack of confidence. They hide their weakness on their inflated ego.
School heads should be transparent, trustworthy and with integrity. Leadership is built on trust. Everything done should be for the common good and their greater cause. The propagation of self-interest among school heads causes disintegration on the school. Good school heads can be counted to do what is fair and right.
School heads is focused on excellence not pretentions. A good school head always wages a battle against mediocrity. Likewise, a school head need not project a cosmetic remedy to the problems at school. If there is a need to beautify the school, do so not because someone is coming; but because it needs to be done.
Lastly, school heads should have a heart. Schools do not need intelligent leaders but leaders with a heart. A heart for the teachers, a heart for service and a heart for everyone. Having a heart enables the school head to build sound relationship. It is not of utmost importance that a leader should be intelligent. What the school needs is someone who understands what the whole school needs because the leaders feels it from the heart.
By: Rhodora E. Carlos | MT-1 | Bilolo Elementary School
