What principals should do …

What fun – the government’s now decided that school principals need training. I’ve had a few thoughts along these lines myself, over the years, about what school principals should do. The jumping into lakes and off cliffs and under buses – they weren’t serious suggestions though, really.

The first, biggest, most important and loudest thing that bosses learn to do is say ‘thank you’.

They should make sure there’s enough school stuff for the kids to learn – textbooks, red pens, grassy areas, toner for the copier that never breaks down, teachers that never break down (hardly ever), trees, fresh books in the library and fresh scones in the staffroom, scissors and paper and glue, comfortable furniture and time. They can’t make more time but they can ensure time isn’t wasted on silly not-learning stuff.

They should be able to imitate Howard Kippenberger or Edmund Hillary as leaders, sharers of ideas, and hard workers. These guys were solid leaders because they knew what their goal was, they liked what they were doing, and they liked the people around them.

Principals should be taught how to lead their whole school community – the kids, the teachers, the non-teaching staff, the kids’ parents, the neighbours, the local businesses, the local sports clubs and everyone else in the community because schools are a community’s heart and soul. School bosses should be community leaders too. So they have to have wisdom and they have to have courage to speak their minds, to swim against the current when necessary, to say the difficult-to-hear things when they have to be said, such as NCEA is stupid or boys are failing because education is too feminine, or neglectful parents should have their kids taken off them... you know, stuff like that. Not very p.c., but it has to be said.

Principals don’t have to be solitary super-heroes. Parents have to help by teaching kids manners and dressing them properly and feeding them adequately and not smacking them and not being ugly at sports games and not getting stoned or drunk or driving while texting. And teachers have to do their bit by dressing properly, planning and preparing, having a positive and cheerful attitude, and not staying up late on school nights.

Principals don’t have to be able to do balance sheets or cashflow forecasts or asset depreciation schedules. That’s for bean-counters to do. School bosses have to be Graham Henrys – knowledgeable, out the front, speaking with conviction, defending the team...

But when the government sets up its Principals’ Training Scheme you just know they’ll be learning how to reduce costs in a politically safe, multi-cultural and carbon neutral setting.

— Peter Giddens