The New Year brings with it excitement and fresh challenges and provides the opportunities of doing things well. It is like the first page of a new exercise book. The marks on this clean page need to be really good ones. I relished the task of moving the school forward each year and enjoyed analysing how this could be done and what could be tackled effectively. It is encouraging to accept that it is unlikely that everything needs improving; however, improving something by a small amount is still worthwhile. My strong advice is to document your thoughts. Don’t have them swishing around in your mind as they will simply become part of the mists of time and will be lost. As a Principal, thinking carefully and strategically about such matters is so valuable. You will experience great satisfaction in crafting what you believe are effective strategies- “hit and miss doesn’t work”. The staff in the end will be proud of progress made in the school and relish the feeling of their school moving forward. I guess there is much in the statement that “an enterprise is either going forward or backwards - it doesn’t remain static”.

On Day I you should address the staff. I believe you must ensure that the first time you address the staff in the year really, really counts. This should be early on the first day the staff assemble don’t waste this peak, receptive opportunity!

First task is to welcome the staff back and to welcome new staff and those that have been on long service leave etc. individually. I found it valuable to write this information down because to forget someone or to get it wrong somehow is unfortunate and embarrassing.

After this is the peak time to deliver your well-considered philosophical talk. I found that it was better not to speak for too long otherwise there is danger of losing the staff. Remember staff have been on holiday and need to “warm up” to the year’s challenge. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of you as the Principal saying something of real educational meaning or staff effectiveness rather than something administrative which may be important but considered boring. Those first minutes are so precious and when lost they are indeed lost forever. You can’t get time back. What you talk about should remain as a theme for the year to which you can constantly refer and therefore reinforce.

At this meeting it is important for the Principal to talk positively about the school. I’m a believer that the Principal should “talk up” the school, making staff proud of where they work. Personally I would definitely avoid gloomy, negative, budget news such as “the budget is tight and everyone has to economise”. Such words project “doom and gloom” and lower morale. I always disliked them. I’m sure so do teachers in general. I personally believe that concerns about financial stress are those of the Principal and the Board and not the teaching staff. Systems and controls should be in place to control expenditure in the necessary way. If someone is over budget, talk to them individually.

It may be that your school is facing a staff shortage at this time. My understanding is that recruiting teachers is a real challenge at the moment. Schools face a nationwide shortage of teachers at present. Attracting them to the NT, whether to our large towns or Darwin or to remote settlements is difficult. A danger is unsuitable teachers may be appointed because there is simply no one else. My advice is to avoid doing this as it usually leads to trouble. A desperate Principal may be tempted not to fully check references or to discount negative comments - “they’ll be Ok” is not OK. Though my advice is not very helpful, try to cope until you can get someone suitable. Use all the initiative you can muster to cope. Remember you are ultimately responsible for the children in your care and you want to avoid disasters caused by unsuitable staff.

Much can be done when new teachers join the staff. When new teachers come, encourage staff to make them feel welcome and help them settle in. Many arriving in the NT have come from interstate or elsewhere in the NT. It is vital for new teachers to feel they are wanted and really belong. Accommodation can also be a major problem. If it is, the school should help find them suitable accommodation. I recall the teacher shortage when I started teaching. No-one provided assistance with accommodation for new teachers. I remember one import to country Victoria from America spending the first week sleeping in his car - hardly suitable for lesson preparation.

All my teaching has been in country towns. I have seen that the quickest way to settle teachers in is to help them become involved in the community at a level which is suitable to them and with activities they want to do. I saw, unfortunately, a local football club trying to pressure a friend of mine into playing football. This was unhelpful. They failed but a less confident person could have been really “put off” the town. In the end he and I played cricket and ended up opening the bowling for one of the local clubs. We were quickly involved in the community and rapidly made friends outside our teaching comrades. I also became involved in folk music and played in bush bands in two of the towns-great fun and a little extra money! It is not hard to become involved in country towns and if engagement is difficult encouraging a staff member to take someone “under their wing” is always helpful.

Engagement in a country town is not only rewarding but may help relationships with students. It is not uncommon to find one of your students in your team. At one stage a year 11 student was the wicket keeper in my team. He was a very competent cricketer but initially would should shout out “Hey Sir put it on the off side!” I had to plead with him to call me Chris in these circumstances! Sport was great for staff student relationships.

The best way to keep staff is to ensure they feel safe and supported in the school and are encouraged to become involved in the community - if they want to be. If they don’t want to be, life is likely to be a little harder for them.

Good staff are like gold. It is so important to really look after them so they are happy in the school and want to remain for a while. A Principal must be approachable and constructive in making staff feel safe. The golden rule as far as I’m concerned is never pass a staff member without acknowledging them! The second is to make sure you show that you are interested in them as people. Being remote from them doesn’t work. A good staff with a good morale will help make a good school.

Written by Chris Tudor,

Principal Liaison & AISNT Historian