The character of the school depends on many things, including some of the following:

Enthusiasm

Tone

Decision Making

Principal’s Example

Listening

Opportunity

There is no shortage of complications in running a school. For example, in both the north and south of the NT, flooding has the greeted this year. The last few days have seen huge flows in the Todd and Charles Rivers. Such events are not marked on the Calendar but bring with them the need for quick and wise decisions to ensure students are safe. I recall a similar flood in the Charles River ages ago and a person clinging to a tree to prevent being swept away. As members from the school were watching one of our Gap students, who was Canadian, came down equipped with his climbing rope, ready to throw himself into the flood to save the man. If staff hadn’t been there to stop him, I hate to think what disaster would have occurred. In spite of his insistence, we did stop him! His action was definitely a surprise but, in a crisis, there is always something from left field which demands a quick and wise decision to keep staff and students safe.

I recall a boarder who was hyperventilating. We made the quick decision to take her to hospital, put her in a car and set off at an emergency pace only to be stopped by the police on the Stuart Highway. Fortunately, they embraced the emergency and gave us a police escort to the hospital. Phew - She recovered.

I had just got off the phone (this is over 30 years ago) regarding the College’s finances. It had been a pressured phone call and my hands were sweating. Within two minutes my most serious maintenance man appeared in my doorway. He exclaimed “Chris a terrible thing has happened”. All principals will have experienced such a comment - my mind flew into overdrive!

“What is it X ?”

“A tap in the Boys’ toilets is leaking.”

I immediately exhaled and started to regroup, such a contrast to the drama of the financial discussion. However, I had to recognise that it was a disaster for him, and I needed to LISTEN to him and not dismiss his concern. Job done!

As Principals we must be good at active listening and try hard to understand what the person is feeling.

One of our greatest gifts which we can use is ENTHUSIASM. This gift should be readily employed for it encourages positivity and has a wonderful effect on morale, is encouraging and is the solid base for a positive school.

I used to say often to myself, “I am paid to make good decisions; not to avoid them but to make them in a timely manner.” This promotes security amongst staff and students even if some are unpopular. Good DECISIONS made in a timely manner underpin good leadership.

The other gift Principals should use is to provide an example and present what they “STAND FOR”. Most students and staff will be keen to know what Their Principal stands for. If they know, this provides helpful modelling to the whole school community. Whilst probably not all will follow the EXAMPLE the Principal sets it will be helpful to many and therefore assist in setting the TONE of the school. To not do this is the loss of an important opportunity. It will leave a vacuum which can be filled with unwanted “stuff” which may lower the tone of the school.

OPPORTUNITY is the final one I want to consider in this analysis. It is important for the school to have in its culture the desire to take opportunity. Growth of the school, including staff and students will be enhanced by taking opportunity.

Enthusiasm, Tone, Making Decisions, Principal’s Example, Listening and Opportunity are all an important part in setting and maintaining the School’s Character. Consider the idea of taking Opportunity: the Principal can Model the importance of taking opportunity. At St Philip's we took the Opportunity to run the three major Round Square Conferences: International, Australasian and Junior. These were all a huge amount of work, but we wanted to make sure we took these opportunities to develop positive relations with other schools in Australia and around the world.

The International Conference in 2001 took three years to plan but unfortunately on 9/11 the Twin Towers Attack in New York occurred cancelling some schools’ permission to travel. This was followed by Ansett, the second major Australian Airline, closing, though the two were not related. The Head of Round Square asked if we would prefer to call the conference off. We said “no way” even though we had lost 70 participants. With adrenaline pumping, staff and students ran one of the organisation’s best conferences which enhanced the reputation and knowledge of our school within Australia and globally. Opportunity, opportunity! Students should know that when a valuable opportunity knocks at the door - take it.

So back to the heading. The job of a Principal is so busy and complicated that it is easy to take one’s eye off these importance pillars of a good school: Enthusiasm, Tone, Making Decisions, Example (What a Principal Stands for), Listening and Opportunity. The frantic nature of the job can take over and damage these - so it is extremely important that these principles are given priority, well understood, demonstrated and reign supreme in the school.

Written by Chris Tudor