A brave open letter to all the coward principals in the public schools
This brave open letter is for all the public school principals who failed their teachers. If you are a principal reading this, I hope this letter enlighten you to be a better leader. This brave open letter is in general aspect. Don’t get me wrong, you are not affected if you are a good principal out there. Yet, this will touch your ego if all the description below points on you.
“Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position.” —Brian Tracy
This quote hits big when it comes to leadership. If you are a principal, you should be the mighty, the powerful. You should have all the qualities of a good leader. In any sense, you should be flexible since your entire teachers look up to you.
This brave open letter will remind you of who you were when you were still a newbie like the rest of us. You were once new to the teaching world and for sure you know how it feels to be the new leaf. Then you bloomed and as you grow, you built yourself up with the help of your comrades. With the experiences you had, you were able to reach your ambition to be the principal.
Teachers look up to you as the highest authority in the school. They expect so much from you. They respect you with much pride and hope in their eyes. They hope that you would be their source of strength and unity. They call up to you thinking that you will uplift their spirits and be their pillar when they need you the most.
Somehow, you end up as a disappointment. Instead of being the leader, you only command your teachers. You command them to do the tasks that you should have done. You delegate your work to them as if nothing is wrong. You misuse your position and used your teachers instead.
You didn’t’ realize that you were the one who lit the fire that caused your school to get divided. You never ask your teachers how they were. You never knew their situations because you only sat on your office playing some games. You act tough and mighty but you can’t decide on your own. You are a true coward in the sense that you backbite your teachers when they are gone. You can’t summon your teachers and talk to them heart to heart in private. You have your own sense of favoritism among the teachers that is obvious.
You talk nonsense and when you are ask by your higher ups, you can’t even explain because you delegate your work. Your master teachers do all your work. You act as though you are not a professional.
Let me remind you of your role as a principal. Teachers will love their principal if he/she is a good one. They are not looking for the best, only a good one. This brave open letter is a reminder that you have to be the one who uplifts the spirit of your teachers. You should not show any favoritism to the group. You should be fair in all your judgments and decisions. You must be a good decision-maker, the one who doesn’t need someone to tell them what to do.
Above all, this brave open letter should open your eyes of what you have become. As a principal it is your role to unite your school in bad and good times. It is you who must stand tall even if others are down. Be the principal that is worthy of the respect and trust of your subordinates. This brave open letter ends with this quote:
“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked. Leadership is defined by results not attributes.” —Peter Drucker
– Alec | Helpline PH
