If you’ve just been appointed to your first teaching post, congratulations! If you’ve just been given a promotion, congratulations too! Enjoy the challenges that await you.
A new appointment isn’t total joy, though. Research shows that taking on a new job is stressful. You might ask yourself these typical questions: Will I get along with my new colleagues? Do I have the skills needed to do the job properly? Will unsuccessful candidates for the job who are still at the same school respect and support my authority?
The inevitable stress that occurs with a new appointment can be reduced by using common sense. Suggestions are:
Use the four ‘Ls’
Learn: Learn as much as you can about the school. At the start of the year you might have been bombarded with piles of documents and files. Study those Code of Conduct, learning area/subject and other policies carefully. They help you understand the way in which things are done at the school. If the school has a website, visit it.
Get to learn the names of staff and learners as soon as possible. As Dale Carnegie observed, a person’s most prized possession is his or her name.
Link up: Link up with a staff member. Many schools have a buddy or mentor system. The buddy or mentor shows the newcomer the ropes: who does what, how, when and where. If the school doesn’t have a buddy or mentor system, find one for yourself. That person will help you settle in comfortably and quickly.
Listen: Listen to what’s being said at meetings and the five-minute brief announcements at break times. Take notes to help you cope with what you might consider to be information overload. Be more of a listener than a speaker. Listen to what your colleagues and the learners are chatting about. You’ll get a sense of how the school ticks; you’ll find out what’s considered important and what is less so.
Look: Look at the way learners and staff set about their daily routine. Fit into it. Later on, but not now, you might want to suggest better ways of doing things. There are some staffrooms and staff car parks that have sacred “spots”. Nobody, for example, sits in Mrs Onlymine’s chair in the staffroom. Don’t tip the apple cart, at least at first.
Much can be learned about the school climate or vibe simply by observation. How do teachers speak to learners? How do learners talk to their peers and teachers? What is the manner in which the principal interacts with learners, parents and staff? Are all treated with the same level of friendliness, professionalism and respect? Or are there “in crowds” and “out crowds” in the relationships with the principal?
The deep dongas
In your new appointment you want to get on with others. Be aware of these deep dongas of interpersonal disasters:
Don’t say: “At my other school we used to …”
Folk can get very sensitive about their school being compared with another one, particularly if unfavourable. Bring great new ideas from elsewhere but don’t tell them that you brought them from your old school.
Don’t hang around with the whiners
A staffroom might have a little clique or group of moaners. Be a positive addition to the staffroom. Avoid getting involved in negative grumpy groups.
Don’t make rapid changes
If you’re in a promotion post, it’s understandable that you’d like to make changes. In this leadership role you’re expected to bring about improvements. Make changes, but not at a Formula 1 pace! Bring about incremental change at a speed that folk can handle.
Don’t throw your authority around
A promotion post includes additional authority and power. When you make a reasonable request, it’s expected that others will comply. Use power extremely lightly. Motivate and persuade. Behave in such a way that people want to follow you because of your fine qualities. Never use fear of force, intimidation or manipulation to get compliance.
Don’t be too friendly with the learners
For some learners, a new staff member means time for “power games”. Who is in charge … the teacher or the learners? Guard against being too familiar or friendly. Start out fair but firm. Friendliness and the slightest sliver of a smile can come later.
Abide by quality values. Be friendly, be hard-working and be helpful. You’ll be an excellent new appointment and most welcome in the school.
Richard Hayward is a former principal who is attached to the South African Quality Institute (SAQI), which conducts leadership and management courses countrywide. Poor schools are sponsored. For more details, contact Vanessa du Toit (012 349 5006; [email protected]) or Richard Hayward (011 888 3262; [email protected])