A case of slow but certain death

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday March 25, 2024 12:07

To those who may not have been paying attention to the details or are not privy to the internal dynamics of a school, the fall would send shockwaves causing everyone associated with the high-performing culture excruciating panic, fear, and frustration. The little things that appear to carry less weight could be equated to the dreadful cancer affliction which is capable of quietly eating, from the inside, the whole fabric of a school to a point of disrepair.

If they wish to maintain their lead and comparative advantage schools are obligated to regularly take inventory to determine early and with accuracy the presence of little cracks. Anything that works and continues to work to keep a school on top of the mountain should never be allowed to dissipate without cause. Complacency and lack of attention to detail can be held accountable for the destruction of a high-achieving school culture. Like a fragile little plant, a school culture can only bloom and blossom if it is regularly watered, nurtured, and cared for.

One of the early signs of a school dying from the inside is the growing culture of refusal to take responsibility when things begin to take a wrong and unexpected turn. Taking refuge in excuses and seeing the speck in one’s eye and not the log in another’s eye brings a sense of self-comfort, gratification and completeness. Hiding behind excuses is a common occurrence when data is ignored. It is convenient and easy to simply shift the blame to others and not to introspect and assess one’s role in the destruction of a school culture. When excuses assume precedence over any other consideration it is common to point an accusing finger at either the parents or students.

The usual charge is that these students are a different generation at all, unresponsive, and indifferent to classroom teaching stimulation. The charge is based on the teacher’s sense of completeness and adequacy where instructional practices deemed perfect and potent do not make the expected impact because they are being frustrated by unconcerned and indifferent students. The charge levelled against students is not entirely misplaced. Some students do have a notorious distinction of making the work of teachers difficult. Students should take some degree of accountability and refrain from engaging in distractive behaviours which do not do their learning any favour. The disruptive students should be closely monitored and corrected if some semblance of order is to be created and achieved. But how many students choose to be on the wrong side of the law and defy the school and its rules?

A very insignificant minority I would say. Nonetheless, if not contained unruly elements can grow in confidence and become role models pushing a school to its ultimate demise. Parents too should never shirk their responsibility of contributing to the success of their children’s schools.

Passing the buck to the teachers and expecting them to perform miracles is unhelpful. The family should play its bit by engaging their children at home, keeping them busy, and channelling their youthful exuberance to some worthwhile pursuits.

Idle and less engaged children at home become a less effective resource in learning. However, the internal school affairs carry more weight and power than the combined strength of external role players. Much as students should shoulder some degree of responsibility for their learning, children will always be children needing guidance and support from their handlers at school. Many students are ready to respond to sufficient challenging, stimulating, and inspiring classroom stimulation.

A high-performing school is distinguished by a spirit of communality and collegiality where the one hand endeavours to care and know about what the other hand is doing. Sometimes in the life of a school a bad culture of individualism and ‘mind your own business mentality’ can creep in and destroy what collective minds have built together. There are instances where even subject departments which are supposed to thrive on the exchange of best practices rarely meet and subject their own work to any scrutiny.

Individual agendas instead of departmental plans are given primacy and attention. The degeneration of a department can be noticed when individuals come to work not for one another but to simply do their bit and go their separate ways upon completion of one’s work. Individualism takes root when people no longer feel good about their work, uncared for, or unprotected. Hardworking people who had given their all to the organisation could slow down quietly when prospects for promotion and recognition appear neglected and frustrated. When people are supposed to be working together feeding one another with information to keep their organisation alive now lose a sense of camaraderie, this impacts adversely on the drive to contribute towards the common good of the organisation.

There is also a need to pay attention to silent and passive resistance movements. Silent resistance can occur when employees no longer feel their views matter except the ideas of those in leadership. A follow-the-leader mentality ensues under the circumstances where employees choose to stomach every decision without any attempt to scrutinise their usefulness or otherwise. That is what getting into compliance mode looks like. A school may begin to slowly lose its original spark and flair when the constituent members no longer have a sense of belonging. When in this predicament school leaders need to go back to the drawing board to inspire a sense of collective ownership.

Loss of a sense of collective ownership and confidence in one’s organisation has given rise to a mushrooming of side hustles. Side hustles gain currency in an environment where the future looks bleak and uncertain. While there is nothing wrong in engaging in projects that secure the future, there is everything wrong when a side hustle compromises one’s ability to deliver at the principal place of work. Otherwise, unhappy and disengaged employees can quietly withdraw support leading to catastrophic results.

To stay on top of the summit successful schools should monitor strictly the time their charges spend on tasks. Coming to class regularly as the timetable dictates does not necessarily translate into an investment of time on task. People could be on duty but off task. Monitoring is important to ensure people do not veer from the course that they are paid to pursue.