The sun has risen well above the ranges,

The morning sun now glows magic upon the waking world

And spreads with care the cards across my day’s table,

My canvas now awaits for the days paint to use as I am able.

There are poignant times when the boney fingers of a winter wind,

May claw, albeit ruthlessly, at my exposed and chilly face.

Still there’s no excuse to avoid expressing my soulful warmth with well-crafted words,

Replying with sense and thought to whatever I might have heard.

No day will bring the thrill of hours of pure perfection,

Like the flowers that bloom beside a path that leads to somewhere.

But time may produce the flush of welcome satisfaction,

To be highly prized, for the mind and heart value such reaction.

To be a light that shines within the darkness of a theatre’s empty, lonely stage,

Of a world that’s troubled, stressed and unwittingly lost direction.

Nevertheless to ensure, as John requests, that my lamp shines beyond the local field,

Thus casting peace, joy and understanding that will last and last and never yield.

Time is as scarce as water that flows with ease from out the garden tap,

Once gone, is gone to be never replaced by the same again.

Indeed it is a parallel of Opportunity as expressed by Kairos where it is grabbed, but if not, lost,

Thus denying any change or growth which is a sad and unnecessary cost.

Time must be rationed to meet both personal and outward tasks for others,

Yes a writer must write, a painter must paint and a musician must play every day.

To deny the spirit of creativity is to condemn part of one’s sole to the heartache of denial,

With the sadness of deprivation and its long, unfortunate journey of discontent and trial.

So take care with denial of yourself or its hidden poisonous fangs will strike.

Make hours to self-satisfy and not only cast your time out into the ocean of duty.

For your strength is of value to not only you but also for those for whom you sow.

Take time to be strong, take time for your health and take time for YOU to wisely grow.

I guess this is a poem that details some of the vast challenges a Principal, faces every day. The Principal is there to ensure a good picture is painted. A Principal must deal with people well regardless of the pressure faced. In a world that has many difficulties it is important for the Principal to be positive. The Principal must always be on the lookout for opportunities which can be readily taken. However time is limited and therefore has to be rationed wisely. Principals must also know they have the need and right to take care of themselves.

I never regret my choice of career to be a teacher and will value being a teacher for the rest of my life. Though not in the classroom one’s love of being a teacher never fades and I’m sure it is with you all and most of your troops. As fate would have it, of my 42 years of being a teacher, 30 of them were spent as a Principal. I was still 34 when I started and definitely began learning the craft immediately. For me so much of being a Principal, I believe, is learnt on the job. I don’t consider it is the process of trying to clone another. It is rather how your particular skills and personality work to achieve effectively the various tasks and indeed problems that make up the job you have undertaken. Fortunately, it is possible for a person to tackle the job in their own way. Occasionally I would wish that I was more like other principals with whom I was friends. Whilst I could learn from them, I couldn’t clone them. I was me and not them. This sounds trite but it is an important point to embrace. The “One Minute Manager “was all the rage when I started, but the method espoused didn’t suit me, so I was not a “one Minute Manager’s” boot lace. A wonderful mentor of mine, whom I valued greatly, said “you always listen intently to me, ask questions etc. but then go and do your own thing”. I learnt heaps from him, but it was important that I delivered in my own way according to my own personality. When reviewing someone you must always remember the personality factor. However, it is also acknowledged that some personalities don’t fit teaching and in fact result in creating a disaster, which is a pity.

Someone may be a good teacher but they don’t want to subscribe to the ideology of the school. Some even set out to change that ideology which is changing something really fundamental and they are on a hiding to nothing. I was fortunate in that I had influence from the start by suggesting to the board the School Motto and later on writing the School Song. The Motto, “To Strive, To Seek, To Care” was a beacon for the school and could be readily used in talks illustrating the School’s Philosophy’. The School Song illustrated the School’s Philosophy in more detail. Both can be used as useful yardsticks for a student’s future life. If a teacher doesn’t agree with the school’s philosophy they should go and teach elsewhere. Furthermore, I have experienced schools which don’t have a strongly stated philosophy and it is like sailing in a ship without a rudder. A stated philosophy gives the school the opportunity to say to a student or a teacher, “this is how we believe it should be done here”.

The years from Covid onwards have been really difficult for schools and I have felt particularly concerned for Principals who have had to deal with really hard situations such as trying to get sufficient good staff. The difficulties in our Territory towns have caused staff to leave and new staff reluctant to come. All my teaching has been in country towns, and I have never seen anything like this. In addition to teaching I did honary probation and youth work so had a good idea of town behaviour. Furthermore solutions have been challenging as everyone blames everyone else for the situation. A Principal hopes for plain sailing and certainly doesn’t ask for such difficulties, but when they occur, has to deal wisely and appropriately with them.

When a new Principal has to be appointed it is expected that the Board will appoint someone who will support and enhance the school’s Philosophy and will lead the school successfully.

I have seen a number of situations where the Board makes a poor choice and the negative effect on the school is truly unwelcome. Some choices seem unbelievably bad and the board then has a problem. This result can be from a degree of bad luck or the Board not realising that the most important decision in their term is the appointment of the Principal. If there is a disaster and the Board tries to get in there and run the school themselves the disaster usually gets worse. Any of these negative situations must be avoided at all costs. Correct decisions take high level research, diligence, use of the best expertise and a huge amount of wisdom. Everyone loses with a poor decision, particularly the students. Often school numbers drop. Appointing a Principal is such a responsibility, in fact appointing any CEO is. As Kurt Hahn used to say, “Are you sure.”

Being a Principal is a terrific job as it is about making things happen. It is about encouraging others as they make things happen or the exciting task of making things happen themselves. Either way the Principal’s task is to ensure their school is a dynamic, interesting and often exciting place where staff really want to teach and students belong and want to learn. There is no hiding the fact that it is a challenging job but it is a great and satisfying career.

Written by Chris Tudor