Not All Schools

In one of my many roles throughout my career I have acted as a Head of Middle School – Teaching and Learning. One of the aspects of that role was meeting with parents who had essentially reached the end of their tether in regards to their students learning. The school was very academically focussed, with a mantra for it’s senior students of “Preparing for University”. The school also charged very high fees so that added another layer of expectation. The end of result of this was that the school suited a particular “type” of student. Herein lay my biggest dilemma. There were countless times when talking to parents I just wanted to tell them that although their child was fantastic, that although our school was great – that we were not the right school for their child. I never actually said it as it would have cost my job, and it was never a reflection on the student. Rather, in my mind it was a reflection on the school. What I learnt through those meetings, and the experience of my own children was that not all schools suit all students, but there are schools for all students. But that is not what this blog is about, rather the lesson I learnt about “not all schools” took me far too long to realise; that the same applies to staff.

The end goal of most people studying an education degree is to gain employment out of university. This comes in different manifestations for teachers; rural, independent, public, catholic etc. Desperate times call for desperate measures and graduates go into a flurry of writing applications and cross their fingers, hoping for something… anything. My first teaching position was more hope that expectation. Missing out on several positions I applied in hope for a job as a History teacher at a small independent school. I didn’t apply for it due to a love of the school or its philosophy, rather a means to gain employment and thus income to support myself. There was plenty about that school that I really loved; great students, kind parents, a fun staffroom. However, my philosophy on both teaching and life did not really align with that of the school and my three years there were laced with a personal struggle that oscillated between fitting the mould and being my true self. The result of being the square peg in a round hole took its toll on me, more than I thought at the time. I had to suppress much of my true personality which eventually wears you down and causes resentment.

Upon reflection another lesson I have learnt in regards to fitting into a school is that things can change. Some might call it rose coloured glasses, or the newness of it all but I tend to disagree. It can definitely happen that for a period of time you feel a real synergy with the school you are in. You feel inspired, energetic, part of the greater whole, challenged or even just that sense that you are in the right place. And then it changes; from feeling like you are in the zone to suddenly feeling you no longer fit into the school. It can be hard to pinpoint the why of these occasions. Most of the time it can be down to a few factors.

The most obvious of these is that something significant changes at the school. It could be your position, the staff, the leadership structure or even a pedagogical shift that you no longer align with. This can cause huge turmoil, as new systems and practices are put in place. It is important in these situations to assess your adaptability. Is the feeling of no longer fitting in do with a fundamental disagreement with the new system/ leadership or are you mourning a past of comfortability. It is here the you need to discern how much you need to adapt and what you are willing to compromise. In all workplaces we need to make sacrifices, however when these sacrifices come at the expense of our own integrity or well-being it is important to examine our place in the organisation. I have been in a few schools for a quite a period time and therefore seen the anxiety behind change that results once changed has occurred. In one school, I worked under three different principals and therefore went through the process of the development of a new principals’ ethos several times. These periods of adjustment cause significant anxiety as humans have a natural tendency to fear the unknown. On each of these occasions the new principal introduced significant change to the organisation quite early, however for me, although I didn’t necessarily agree with all aspects of what was occurring, I was able to look more holistically and see that the changes weren’t affecting my wellbeing or compromising my integrity. Therefore, I stayed the course. But, if it does occur that the changes are too much, then for your own wellbeing you need to get out.

As teachers we always grow as professionals and sometimes this can result in no longer fitting into a school. It is inevitable that as we become more experienced we will change our pedagogy, philosophy and approach. Put simply, sometimes we outgrow the school we are working at. That is not to say we are better than the school, more that the school no longer meets our professional needs or goals. It is perfectly fine to acknowledge to yourself that you are no longer being challenged or your needs are not being met by your school, and it is perfectly fine to seek new opportunities as result.

I am firm believer that in any school you will know when your time is up. It might not necessarily be an incident or moment but you will most likely get that feeling over a period of time that the school is no longer the place you want to be. Signs that this is happening can include ongoing mental fatigue, higher levels of cyncism, reduction in work capacity, general annoyance at everything or anyone and the list goes on. It is important to recognise these and put steps in place to either leave the organisation or renew your passion. In the meantime, you also need to be conscious of your interactions with staff and students, maintaining your own professionalism and integrity at all times. The old adage leave strong still rings true.

One final thing to bear in mind when looking to move on from your school; the grass is not always greener on the other side. I have had the privilege of working in six schools in my 20+ years of teaching and I can assuredly say that all schools have their great aspects, but also all schools have their issues.