Keeping in touch in tough times
Newsletters written by Coach Paul Cassar to support principals in difficult times.
READ THE INSPIRING LETTERS THAT KEEP OUR PRINCIPALS GOING.
That’s My Principal
It’s not difficult for me to know what goes on in a principal’s mind during that drive to school in the early morning. It’s a journey of calm reflection, mindfulness, a conscious bracing for what the day will bring and for every day’s difficult conversations; a...
Storytelling is not a soft skill; it’s a leadership superpower
I recently enjoyed re-connecting with a cousin my age with whom I shared a close relationship more than fifty years ago. He lost his wife in January to a car hijacking gone wrong (in Brisbane!). We spent days telling each other our personal and professional stories....
What do you bring to our school?
When school leaders set out to fill an important teacher vacancy, they look for three critical requirements. The first, in say a Mathematics teacher, is a clearly evident ability to master both the content and the delivery of either primary or high school...
It’s Not An Ordinary Life
I had a unique retired principal’s weekend with an old girl’s wedding on Saturday and another’s memorial service on Sunday. Any experienced principal knows that it’s not an ordinary life. You are the go-to leader in both the good times and the crisis times in the...
Common Mistakes We Principals Make
Dr Mark Potterton, principal of Sacred Heart Primary and joint-author of the powerful DBE ministerial committee publication, Schools That Work, penned an article on principalship in Daily Maverick recently - ‘Carrying the torch for excellence’. He wrote that the...
Developing Master Teachers – That’s Your Job
After four years of high level, mentored service as a registrar, as well as serious study, exams and orals, a doctor becomes a respected specialist. It’s not that simple to gain recognition as a specialist teacher. As school leaders we know our ‘master teachers’ and...
Breaking the Walls of the Classroom through Teacher Collaboration
My interest was sparked by a friend's daughter, an industrial engineer, who works for one of the big four accounting firms. She accepted a transfer from Johannesburg to Dublin this January. What interested me was that she had been headhunted with the sole purpose of...
Remember, You are the Driver of that Bus
I like to think that the process of coming back from a summer holiday is somewhat like reconditioning a bus with a new battery, an oil change, clean filters, re-upholstered seats, re-treads and a navigation software upgrade. Ready for another hundred thousand...
Going Forward – Lessons from 2024
This newsletter outreach to principals started when COVID hit in 2020 and so it was called Keeping in Touch in Tough Times. Well, it’s more than four years later and times are undoubtedly still tough. We still need massive personal and professional support, and the...
Six Critical Skills the World Looks for in a very Effective Principal
How many senior managers do municipalities or government departments appoint in a year? Many hundreds, I’m sure. What percentage of these will prove to be above average performers? About 50%, I suppose. And how many will become super effective leaders? South Africa...
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