Go Forward and Lead

Introduction
We would imagine that, when you embarked on this Programme and started to read Module One, you could not envisage reaching the end. However, here you are, reading the last unit of Module Eight. If you have completed the Programme as it was intended, kept up-to-date with the activities, the assignments, your portfolio and the practicum, you can justifiably congratulate yourself. Eight modules later, you should feel much more confident about managing an area of a school, being a member of a Senior Leadership Team or even taking on the role of headteacher.

This final unit and the summary which follows in the last section is meant to pull together all of the various aspects of the Programme and charge you to take up confidently a demanding leadership role in a school which hopefully will be as energising as it will be frustrating, as rewarding as it will be testing and as exciting as it will be challenging. It will be all of these things, make no mistake, but without a doubt you will reap many benefits both for yourself and the children you serve.

You will be pleased to notice that there are no activities in this unit so all you have to do is sit back and read!

Individual study time: 1 hour

Learning outcomes

After working through this unit, you should:

§ Feel confident about taking up a leadership post in a school
§ Be able to make the right decision about how you will carry out that role

The Charge
There are hundreds of nursery, primary and secondary schools in Guyana of all types, whether board, government or private, and they all have one thing in common – they are lead by a headteacher – not administered, but led. Within those schools are a number of persons who hold responsibilities for various aspects of curriculum delivery, social welfare of children or other management duties. Each of these persons has a choice. They can carry out that role to the best of their ability, taking into account the needs, welfare and aspirations of those they lead or, as is the case with some, they simply do a job of work and get through each day without making a real difference to the lives of those in their care.

We would like to assume that, because you have worked through this Programme that you fall into the former group and will take up any management post you are offered with enthusiasm. Nevertheless, you also have a choice. You can congratulate yourself on having another qualification that will provide you with the promotion you want and then, having achieved that promotion, take up your new post and operate in a way which would take no account of you completion of this Programme. On the other hand, you could approach your new work with a determination to improve the lives ultimately of thousands of children. Yes, you have choice and unfortunately, evidence, would show from many schools, that many have made the wrong choice. Which choice will you make?

We are confident that your preference will be for the second path. However, it will not be easy. You will need the strength of mind to overcome the many temptations to accept the status quo in your school and to allow it to drift from one year to the next without any real development or improvement. To run an effective department or school requires that you challenge the way things are, identify strengths and weaknesses and be brave enough to make the necessary changes when they are required, even when they might be unpopular. Do you have the courage to do this?

Yet again, we are sure that you will respond positively to this question because you understand the grave responsibility you will have in the lives of others. To work in any other way would be dishonest and lacking in integrity. So, having made that important decision, what are the implications of it?

In Guyana, children have eleven years of formal, free education. They have one opportunity, one chance. They have no choice of the teachers who are there to work with them. They have no choice as to whether those teachers will work hard for them or not, are motivated or de-motivated, are skilled or inexperienced. And yet, the children are a clean slate and have a thirst for knowledge and want to develop their skills and have good educational experiences. The children have no choice! Like you, the teachers do have a choice and, although many of them make the right choice, many do not. Most want to do well by the children but lack the skills to provide a varied and sound educational experience for them.

This is where you come in as the leader. You now have the knowledge and hopefully the skills to motivate teachers, coach them, encourage them and support them in their efforts with the children. You will be able to find ways of improving their classroom practice and, when they do well, congratulate them and reward them for their efforts. You will respond to the needs of the staff and the children, taking on the role, not only as leader, but follower. You will be strong in your determination to do your best by those for whom you have a responsibility.

As we have said before, leadership is sometimes a natural skill which some people possess, but more likely, it is learnt through hard work, dedication and experience. You have a responsibility to pass on that skill and to train others so that the next generation will also benefit from good leadership. Be aware, therefore, of leadership potential and nurture it.

Finally, we would remind you and ask you to keep in the forefront of your mind those for whom we are working – the child who sits in the chair. There are thousands of them in Guyana. They rely on you for their future. Guyana relies on them for its future. They are in your hands. Do not let them down!

Go Forward and Lead!