Principals and Pancakes!?

Those Plates Are Hot!
Thomas R. Hoerr

As school heads ......

• Do you ever feel attacked?
• Do you ever need help?
• Do you find yourself in a corner?

Thomas R. Hoerr says,

"Good leaders don't avoid heat - they can't.
But they can look ahead and prepare for it."

Thomas explains....

• When (he's) in a heated situation and feeling attacked, (he) needs to remember that time can be (his) ally.
• Principals need to establish a personal advisory board, a network of people to turn to for advice or simply to vent .
• Anticipate what will cause people to get upset and work to change the situation, or at least talk about it before positions are hardened (or entrenched).

Learn the 3 important lessons Thomas, a school head, recognized while eating breakfast with his mother at a pancake house.

Read more at http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership
Source: www.ascd.org. Nov 2011, volume 69, no 3

How about creating a concept for your school notice board?

The Self-Study Cycle: A Philosophy of Continous Improvement

Schools don't get repaired unless questions are raised by those who know the school best. By creating and nurturing a culture of inquiry, a school can embed its philosophy and mission in its school-improvement efforts. Figure 1 depicts a School Self-Study Cycle - a process for building continual improvement into the structure of a school.

Figure 1. A school self-study cycle

Source: Inquiry and Action: School Improvement Guide, pg4