Dr Philip SA Cummins - The Head of Department Book

Dr Philip SA Cummins and Peter J Crawley

Dr Philip SA Cummins September 2012

This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be stored or reproduced by any process without prior written permission.

National Library of Australia cataloguing in publication data:

The Head of Department Book

ISBN 978-0-9872869-8-7

Please refer to the National Library of Australia website for cataloguing in publication details.

Part One:
BECOMING A HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

Part Two:
THE ROLE AS LEADER OF THE DEPARTMENT

Part Three:
THE HEAD OF DEPARTMENTS RESPONSIBILITIES TOWARDS THE DEPARTMENT

Part Four:
THE HODS ROLE AS STAFF MANAGER

Part Five:
MANAGER, MENTOR, OR PERFORMANCE COACH?

Part Six:
WORKING WITH OTHER SENIOR MEMBERS OF STAFF

Part Seven:
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

Part Eight:
STRATEGIC PLANNING

Part Nine
(A) YOUR ROLE AS A HEAD OF DEPARTMENT EVALUATION CRITERIA

Part Ten:
THE HEAD OF DEPARTMENT CHALLENGE

Part Eleven:
EXITING THE HEAD OF DEPARTMENT ROLE

Aimed at those who are not already a Head of Department, this short section sets out some salient points for consideration on your pathway to becoming one.

Developing a successful career is a mixture of understanding the school, knowing about the profession and being an excellent practitioner of educational relationships. Being selected for a promotional position is often about having the right personal qualities to undertake the senior role and this includes presenting the profession well in the wider community. This chapter will focus on those who are seeking promotion within the school and the profession.

Establishing a successful career

This is made easier the earlier a teacher begins the process. An unfortunate number of very talented teachers decide early in their careers that they do not wish to pursue promotional roles within the school.

There are many legitimate reasons for such a decision. The early years of teaching are both challenging and often very satisfying. The demands challenge the skill and intellect level of most individuals. We have so much to learn and this learning places immediate demands on our attention. There is often little time to consider what our life would be like in a senior staff role.

It is easy to believe that all that is necessary for promotion to come our way is to be an excellent teacher and then wait for the opportunities to become available. Many are disappointed by this strategy. The issue, in its harshest terms, is that being an excellent teacher entitles you to respect for that attainment but does not prepare you for a senior role in a school.

Poor knowledge about senior roles is common but must be overcome

One of the difficulties faced by all teachers is that we often have little understanding of what senior staff and, in particular, the Principal do. This might seem silly, as paths often cross and there are many opportunities for observation. However, there is usually little time for sustained talk and few have the good fortune to be well mentored. There are also many professional habits that stop us really discovering what senior roles are about.

Im just a classroom teacher and Its not my role are just two of the damaging mantras that can and do retard a teachers career. Such statements can slow and at times crush the essential curiosity that is key to professional growth.

Discovering what is involved in senior roles is the beginning of growing as a professional. One of the difficulties of the profession is that you may have to work quite hard to discover the substance of what is entailed in senior roles. If you are unable to find a way of learning about the senior role of interest to you, you will be seen as being low on initiative and narrow in relationship building ability. Such an analysis can be unfair.

Develop the skill of discussing the profession

Do this, and you will be better preparing yourself to be consideration for senior duties. This is a skill that needs opportunity and practice. There is often as much to be learnt about the political environment in which discussion takes place as there is to understand about the educational ideas involved. It is easy to make an error of judgment in these conversations. Too much or too little said is only the start of the possibilities. A stance can be too rigid, and educationally inappropriate for your context or at the time of the discussion. If you believe principle rather than practical matters should always have the moral high ground, you may find a clash of personal and professional perspective is a regular occurrence.

There is no easy advice to offer here, but it is usually those with the skills for finding solutions not problems, resolution not confrontation, and pathways not obstacles that are most valued in these discussions. Being invited for more discussion is a reasonable signal that your contribution has been valued. Having your idea win is not what it should be about. Contributing to the group success, both in the meeting and after, is reason to feel satisfied at your achievement.

But you must remain an outstanding educator

The development of your career in wider educational matters cannot be at the expense of your classroom duties. Too many show their limits by letting the role of teacher slip as they perform creditably in administrator roles. This simply reflects on both judgment and capacity. If you seek the role of HOD, you will need the skills in both areas, and more.

Undertaking study in a professional area has merit

There is great value in doing this after five to ten years experience. Partly you will need this experience to benefit from the study. It is also sensible to undertake study before career obligations heighten and overwhelm your opportunity. The choice of study topic should reflect your personality and your career area of interest. This is essential if you are selecting a dissertation topic. Other activities that can stretch your professional boundaries are to review a section of the school, but it is essential that this be discussed with senior staff before you become too committed.

If you undertake study, remember that it is not a guarantee of further promotion. The value of study is shown by the way you problem solve in your daily role. It would be silly to imagine that others will value your study if you are a problem creator in everyday school matters. If you nag and are a pest, you will not find gratitude from those you will rely on for promotion.

Learning about the breadth of the profession

Such learning is essential for promotion. Some decide very early in their career to concentrate on, for example, pastoral care at the expense of their academic area. This can be a costly decision. Whether you decide to seek promotion in an academic or pastoral area, the most useful candidates have a capacity across the profession. If your strength or interest is not in the academic area, at least you should understand the political issues that surround this area of the school.

Be aware and interested in the many matters that lie beyond your present role

You must learn about the full context of how the school operates. There are many staff who present for senior roles with an excellent record in the area of their role. They are often superb teachers. However, senior roles usually cross many areas of the school. If the teacher has had his/her mind too closely focussed on his/her role, to the exclusion of other matters in the school, it is difficult for him/her to prove an interest or capacity in broader duties. To some extent you need to work at a level above your present role to qualify for the promotion you seek. It is not a convincing argument to suggest at interview that you will learn about the new role after appointment, because you have been concentrating on other things to that point. You should also consider carefully the value of an interest in wider school activities such as drama, music, sport, chapel/assembly, or parent events.