Tapping into the strengths, passions and unique experiences of individual members of the team is a mark of good governance and visionary leadership. A school seeking to outcompete its peers and achieve its instructional objectives should have, and marshal an open door policy designed to motivate all members of the school community to contribute their best selves at every stage of its development. Ancillary staff can play a vital role in the academic prosperity of a school.
Any school that desire to excel and exceed expectations should master the art of harnessing the genius and power of the whole school community without any discrimination. Those in position of authority should never think they have the panacea to the challenges that dog their schools. This situation in schools calls for tapping into the 'horse power' of the ancillary personnel. A school can only ignore the power of its ancillary staff at its own peril. Ancillary staff can become game changers, given the opportunity and space to fully participate in the affairs of their schools. At this junction, a testimony can help send a clear message. Recently, I had the privilege of attending a school staff awards in which among others, a school messenger was honoured for going above and beyond the normal call of duty. She stepped up and assumed additional duties of a class teacher. This responsibility is hitherto the preserve and monopoly of teachers in many schools. To its credit, the school in question did not bar this member of the ancillary staff from executing duties beyond her role. The school messenger was the toast of the day as the class under her care, which was reported to be a difficult class, managed to outperform and outfox all classes in the Junior Certificate Examinations. She was deservedly honoured for fixing what appeared to be a broken class. This special case clearly demonstrates that the fate of students should not solely rest on the labours of the teaching troops but all people who work in schools. One of the roadblocks to creating a collaborative and all engaging instructional culture could be emanating from compartmentalisation of the human resource.
