October - A month of Inspiration for Leaders
The month opened on a high note for me! I attended the Féilte Conference (Sharing Teaching, Connecting Learning) in Ballsbridge on Saturday October 1st. This festival is one of the largest gatherings of teachers in Ireland and it is a platform for them to showcase their innovations to each other and to the public. Joe Schmidt, Irish rugby coach and one time deputy school principal, was the keynote speaker and he reminded all present that we should always see failure as a stepping stone. His other message was that teachers should concentrate on bringing energy into the classroom – as energy is contagious and “lack of energy” is contagious also! The variety of stands showcasing the work of schools was incredible and the workshops were inspirational. Schools can now take the spirit of Féilte back to their home towns and run FÉILTE Scoile in their schools. Well done to the Teaching Council! Go mbeirimid beo ag an am seo arís.
It has been a busy planning month for the CSL team. We are hoping to train approximately 200 Mentors this year in order that there will be a Mentor for every new principal in Ireland (Primary and Post Primary) in September 2017. We have planned country-wide training this year in Monaghan, Portlaoise, Kilkenny and Ennis. We are so grateful to all the principals who are generously giving up their time to become part of the programme. The feedback we are getting from those who are involved in mentoring relationships this year is really positive. Evaluation of the tenders for the Coaching Service and for the new Post Graduate Diploma in School Leadership have taken place and we should be in a position next month to make announcements in these areas.
We have also worked really closely with our colleagues in PDST Leadership this month – we have attended Misneach at both primary and post primary level and have had the pleasure of meeting and mixing with many new principals and with the PDST facilitators. The addition of mentoring to the Misneach programme ensures that new principals get to meet, mix with and learn from more established leaders. The current industrial action at post primary level is very challenging for school leaders who find themselves in a position where they are trying to maintain good relationships on the ground between all parties in the school community. Now more than ever they need Mentors, networks and critical friends.
We attended two interesting conferences this month. In Galway, the NAPD Conference was attended by over 500 Post Primary Principals and Deputies. Jacinta Kitt spoke about nurturing hope, optimism and resilience in our staff as well as in our students. She highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence as emotions can impact on the mood, climate and atmosphere in a school. Dr. Ciaran O’ Boyle spoke about the power of leadership, the demands of the roleand how it must be grounded in values. David Marquet (American Ex-submarine commander) encouraged us as leaders to use the words” I don’t know” when working with our staff. He had many ideas as to how to empower those who work with us and he challenged us to look at the language we use - what about saying “How sure are you?” instead of “Are you Sure?” We were delighted that Mary Nihill addressed the conference and updated all present on the work of CSL. Well done to President Paul Byrne on his excellent and amusing speech and best wishes to Cathnia O’Muirchearthaigh, the incoming President of NAPD for 2016-2017. Go n-éirí go gealleat !
We spent a few days at the ESHA (European Secondary Heads Association) Conference in Maastricht and had the pleasure of meeting and engaging with colleagues from Norway, Iceland, Finland, Canada, the USA, Ireland and many other countries. We listened to presentations on distributive leadership, on developing teacher and middle leaders, on creating the conditions for improved school learning, on crisis psychology and on developing the parental role in schools. We visited two schools and learned about their leadership structures. The highlight for us was the workshop and keynote speech given by Michael Fullan. He looked at what effective leaders do to create collaborative cultures in schools. They learn alongside their teachers, they develop leaders at all levels, they work hard at building trust and they focus on learning in schools and between schools. Fullan spoke about the importance of leaders leaving their own environment and learning from others. The phrase he used was “Go outside to be better inside”. This sharing of ideas is vital in all education systems that are learning and growing. He introduced us to the 6C’s – Citizenship, Character, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity and Critical Thinking. These are the skill sets of Deep Learning that students need to achieve and excel in, in order to flourish in today’s world. We were proud to be Irish in Maastricht when we listened to the speech of Clive Byrne, President of ESHA and Director of NAPD.
I also had the pleasure of attending a very stimulating event run by the NCCA called Leadership for Learning. Prof Andy Hargreaves, world renowned educationalist from Boston College, told our audience that between 2000and 2015 was the age of achievement and effort. A new age is upon us – The age of identity, engagement and wellbeing. He reminded us that in our second level schools, teenagers are suffering because of bullying, parental separation/death and mental disorders while incidences of self-harm are on the increase. He stressedthe vital role played by all staff members in our school community –often it is the bus driver who is first to identify a child in distress. He suggested countries should first work on achieving equity-“If you push on equity, you will get excellence”. Like Michael Fullan, he advocates more collaboration between teachers “as teachers who work together, have more of an impact on more of their students”. He refers to this as “Leading from the Middle”. CSL will, through our mentoring programme, continue to promote collaboration between school and within schools.
This month there has been further development and resources uploaded on the school self-evaluation website (www.schoolself-evaluation.ie). In a new video, the Chief Inspector Harold Hislop tells us that SSE is having an impact in our schools and is a very effective way to improve children’s learning. SSE has helped to keep a continued focus on teaching and learning in our staff rooms and staff meetings. CSL welcomes that continued focus on what is happening in our classrooms from 2106 to 2020. The publication of Looking at our Schools 2016 and the inclusion of the Quality Framework for Leadership and Management in that document will be of great assistance to us in our work in CSL. This section (while not formally a part of SSE until 2020) is a very useful planning and self-reflection tool for leaders , Boards of Management and aspiring leaders for their own professional development.
October was however, a sad month as well. Limerick and Clare lost three great leaders and educators way before their time - one in the world of sport (Anthony Axel Foley), our wonderful colleague Martin Wallace, former Principal of Castletroy Community College and former associate of the LDS (Leadership Development for Schools) and David Mc Mahon from the PDST. In CSL we remember Martin fondly, we remember his ability to eloquently present to his audience, his passion for education and education reform, his very pleasant personality and above all his dedication to his family. The loss of David McMahon was deeply felt by all he worked with as a PDST facilitator and all of his colleagues in Clare Education Centre. May they rest in peace.
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts; it is about one life influencing another” (John Maxwell)
