MY REFLECTION ON THE VALUE-BASED LEADERSHIP SEMINAR 2017
MA. CELESTINA D. BALINGIT
I consider my attendance to this leadership seminar worthwhile. Handling and leading a group is never an easy task. It entails a bunch of responsibilities and obligations. Having the sense of responsibility doesn’t work alone; a true leader must be driven with values and virtues. In the morning session of the seminar, I came to know the virtues that a head teacher should possess. Putting these virtues into practice serves as a way to accomplish all work and tasks at hand without any hesitation nor difficulty. One of these virtues is empathy. Understanding and sharing the feelings of another is important in being a head teacher. It is important to provide human considerations and to reach to my constituents not only because they are under my supervision but also because they are my fellow educators. As a head teacher, I should work with both of my mind and heart. Persuasion is also a virtue that I found important. My words and my actions must all be firm and convincing to establish a strong foundation with my colleagues. A head teacher should just not know how to give orders but rather persuade his/ her teachers in achieving the school common goals. To be more persuading, I realized that speaking and listening can be of considerable virtues. Speaking with the teachers under my supervision is one way that describes my roles in school. Listening to their sentiments and needs in improving their job as teachers is one of the best strategy and task that a head teacher could accomplish. Another virtue which I also consider as the most important is integrity. Being a man of integrity is not easy as it may seem. Yet, it is significant and anticipated that a leader in any field must practice this virtue. Integrity can be shown in different ways, from decision making to giving instructions to the teachers. There is no room for being biased for a head teacher with integrity. Inmate relationships with friends or relatives and personal preference or desire are disregarded in the work field. Professionalism has to take place all the time. I must always be fair and just at work.
In the afternoon session, the duties and responsibilities of head teachers are discussed. At first, I thought that once I was promoted to head teacher, everything will be much easier-just spending more time in the office, giving out instructions and disseminating information. But, I was proven wrong. Being promoted as a head teacher has exposed me to a wider horizon of duties and responsibilities. I am expected to provide the necessary assistance to our principal when it comes to various school activities such as SBM, CIP, etc. I also have the focus in the department of the school where my supervision is needed. I should also heed and sensitive not only to the teachers’mistakes and shortcomings, but also to their hard work and industry. Appropriate recognition such as giving certificates or promotions is one of the tasks that a head teacher must do. As they say, a working environment with the atmosphere of appreciation is a healthy and productive workplace. I am as well aware and mindful of the instructional supervision that I must give to my teachers to help them become more effective and efficient. Using the most appropriate instructional supervision strategy (mentoring, coaching, counseling, and confronting)based on their needs and inadequacy is an important task that I must do. Through this, it is not only I or the teachers will benefit, but the whole school community as well.
Bob Marley, a Jamaican singer, once said that a greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but is in how ability to affect those around him positively. This is indeed true to us as head teachers. It not the promotion, power, nor money that we must put into priority, but rather the positive influence that we can pass on to our fellow teachers which can help themselves to become better or even the best in their chosen field. Also, I should also mindful and careful to every decision I make, action I do, or even every word I speak, for the name and reputation I earned for many years can be destroyed for just a few seconds.
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The author is Head Teacher III at Tinajero High School-Annex