Motivation in Public Service

By:  Ambassador Henrietta T. De Villa
First National Assembly of Education Leaders, PICC Manila Philippines, Sept. 20- 22, 2017

Why is the heart so important because it is where all dealings are made?  There is the heart.  The heart is the first organ that is visible. Engaging your heart is vital because you have the power, you have the means and you have the captive subject to shape a new and different future for the country. I hope you are very excited about what you do.  Yes, o yes, you have to be because it is always an adventure and an adventure to newness really is quite exciting.  Servant leaders of the nation with a heart, a pure heart, a clean heart, a compassionate heart.  And you have the power to chart a new course for our country that could even impact our ASEAN nations to draw them out, to draw us out, of the grab mentality.  Grab power, grab profit, grab pleasure.  I hope you will ponder on this and start doing it. 

I still remember my mother who was a Math teacher in FEU.  For her, math is not merely addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or equation.  She expanded her math lessons to wider dimensions, a more holistic meaning to the mathematical processes.  Subtracting pain through sharing, adding joy and hope through good deeds.  Multiplying talents with community work and dividing work load through volunteerism.  Sharing pain, having joy and hope, multiplying gifts, dividing the burden, this is engaging the heart of education leaders.  The sit of wisdom, the heart, compassion, most of all the start up motor of humanizing the person in society.  Education is an on-going process, a life-long project.  Even if in your case, education would be, educating in schools, within the confines of classrooms, within specific timelines, still there must be that consciousness that education is life-long and life-wide.  

What you teach and how you teach can detonate positive or negative heart bites.  TO TEACH IS TO SHOW SOMEONE HOW TO LIVE.  Teaching is not merely transmitting literal knowledge.  Teaching is making word and happening one.  So it is witnessing.  Pope Paul VI teachers teach best when they are witnesses.  Realize that engaging the heart is the dynamic force for motivation, experiences that becomes memories of the heart and lessons for a life-long and life-wide practice.

Mothering or parenting and teaching form a single vocation.  Both engage the heart to the hill in motivating their children and students to strive for excellence and to account for the hope that is in them.  Engaging the heart does not mean permissiveness.  It requires discipline.  A danger, parents are sometimes prone to probably due to the lack of time since both father and mother have to work.  Or the guilt provoked by this lack of time.  Neither does compassion mean, you can’t confuse it with pity.  If we spoon fed our daughters and sons of whatever age.  Your students of whatever level, there is a danger of turning them to become mental wimps, worst with hearts that crumble at the slightest stress or difficulty. 

Forms and substance but this has no reference to impeachment requirements.  Impeachment cases have become a dime a dozen now a days which is a sad commentary on public service.  Was it Jefferson?  I think its Jefferson who said, what we acquire too easily, we esteem too lightly. Going back to my sharing, this will focus on form and content.  The form, anecdotal narratives.  The content flushed out from the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines which is invoked by every congressional investigation in aid of legislation, a dime a dozen too now a days.  Since I am not a lawyer or an elected servant of the people, I just went as far as the preamble articles I to III, because I find them all the highlights I needed in these sections which can be crunched into three headings for purposes of motivation, motivating you as educators and public servants.  

The three motivators; maka-Diyos, makabayan, makatao.  Maka-Diyos when you read the constitution, that is the first part.  It invokes God, so it is recognition of the primacy of God.  And makabayan states the national territory that is our country, the Philippines which public servants and all of its citizens have to develop her patrimony and secure her posterity.  And then makatao particularly the poor, ang mga pinapahirapan, ang mga isinasaisantabi, mga kinakalimutan para sa panahon natin ngayon mga pinapatay.  Paulit-ulit, andun po sa Philippine Constitution ang karapatang pantao napakahalaga na ang karapatang pantao, hindi pinapahalagahan ng isang libo lamang.  Wala pong . . . ,  it cannot be buy you.  Do not be scared even if you are public officials to concern what is right and what is wrong.  I admire your secretary.  She vouched for the character of Kian De Los Santos.  That was brave.  I thought that was very brave.  What will make maka-Diyos, makabayan, makatao excellent motivators is love.  And love is not an emotion.  It is an action of the heart.  Love for God, love for country, love for people especially the poor.  This love must be proactive not passive.  Not just a passing emotion. Naku, kawawa naman.  Naku talagang mali ‘yan.  Magrarally tayo.  Pagkatapos, nakalimutan na.  It has to be a passion for it to be a life-long and life-wide. 

Passion is a produce of the heart.  A heart that has been loved.  A heart that has known what it is to be loved and what it is to love.  ‘Yong mga nakaranas, naïve, na mahal sila.  Na inibig sila.  Those who experienced how to be loved without looking at our warts, or moles, or defects, simply for ourselves, that is the best motivation, iyon ang nag-uudyok sa puso na magmahal din,  that dictates the heart to love too. 

I am a Catholic.  And I’m very proud to be one.  I believe in one God for whom nothing is impossible.  My God whom I believe who loves me and is always there for me, come hell or high water.  You have to believe in something or in someone.  Whatever your faith is or whatever god you worship, your faith, your god must be your all in all.  What is this that gives meaning to life?  To your vocation as educators.  God who is love is the absolute motivation for remaining faithful in being maka-Diyos, makabayan, makatao, in all things that we do and say. 

You know, Pope Francis is a very practical man.  He is very kin on encounter.  Iyong makipagtagpuan.  Because life is all about relationships. You relate with our children.  Children relate with their parents.  You relate with your students.  You relate with each other.  Life is relational.  We relate with people we encounter. Kaya best iyong person to person contact eh.  Kaya ako, hindi ako naniniwala nung bibigyan na lang ng assignment ang mga estudyante.  Darating na lang kapag may eksamin.  Sa college yata iyon, mas type nila yon.  At hindi na nakikita.  Wala iyong exchange, interaction, engaging the heart.  And we need to encounter God in especial moments of our lives.

I met my God early in life.  I know it was not through my effort for what grade three girl student for seriously know who Jesus is.  He must have been the one who drew me.  To wake up early every morning and walk to an early mass. 6:00 o’clock in the morning.  And then, so that we will not be late in school which starts the next day at 7:30.  Since then, Jesus and I have been friends.  And I can tell you.  There is no bff better than He is.  And I know, He will save me from whatever fall I find myself into from whatever foolishness I may do He will save me because He loves me.

When you know you are love unconditionally, faithfully walking with you in sunshine and in rain.  Then this gives meaning to your waking, sleeping, breathing, working living. 

Motivation starts with relationships, carried through relationships, which bear fruit in relationships.  They can be good or bad fruit depending on the relationships you established and encounters that you have.  I am a Filipino and I am very proud to be one. 

You saw that, The Devil Wears Prada?  Ang galing-galing ni Merill Strip.  The Devil Wears Prada, kase kapag nagkaron tayo ng mga ilusyon, to buy this, to buy that, to wear this to wear that.  Hay naku, umpisa na ang katapusan.  Madali po kaseng matisod, di po ba?  Kaya kailangang balik-balikan ang dalisay na hangarin sa paglilingkod.  Alalahanin n’yo po si Bonifacio.  Humayo kayo, humayo tayo at ibangon ang bayan sa kawalan ng puri dahil sa katiwalian. 

When somebody does something for you, no matter how small, or even if it’s their duty to do so, show some appreciation, some affirmation because some affirmation expands the heart.  And motivates it to go an extra hundred miles for the magi’s be abundance to life. One of the things I cannot forget, he told me because he made an order that I should repeat it to as many people as I can.  Pope John Paul II said, “God has blessed the Philippines, with two things that is not present anymore in other countries; the richness of your faith and the closeness of your families. 

Engaging the heart knows no distinction, no barriers, no differences.  The three motivators, Maka-Diyos, makabayan at makatao.  I hope you will always remember God who is kind and merciful.  Slow to anger and rich in forgiveness.  Even if your students are nakakagigil.  That you will remember that.  Na araw-araw hahayo kayo at ikalat na walang pag-ibig pa, na hihigit sa pagkadalisay at pagkadakila,  kundi ang pag-ibig sa tinubuang lupa.

That when you encounter people especially the poor.  That you will teach them, rather show them, through your hugs and affirmation that there are no children of a lesser god.  And what better motivation for you than being true to what you are and what you do which is a privilege no amount of money can equal that privilege to form the minds and engage the hearts of the young Filipino, the new Filipino, the future’s authentic Filipino servant leader.  Education is on-going, life-long, life-wide.

You are What You Think You Are

By:  Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd Quezon 
Region IV- A (CALABARZON)

Have you experience assigning a fellow worker to do a presentation and the loudest reply is, "Sorry sir,  I can't."  What about asking for an information and the immediate answer is, "I don't know."  Remember this, you are what you think you are.

What occupies your mind and what you think means more than anything else in your life. Your thought of life will determine what you become-- indeed, your life, situation today is only the result of your decision yesterday which is the product of your mindset.

Be careful about what you set your hearts on, for you'll get it.  Be careful about what occupies your mind because it will greatly determine what you'll become tomorrow.  As Proverbs 23: 7, NKJV says, "As he thinks in his heart, so is he."

On the other hand, some or many are pretending to be in at times awkward position just to preserve their comfort zones.  And so, they are using the replies above as their alibis just because they don't want additional responsibilities, or twist in their daily work routines, even if it is for their benefit and of the organization.

The sad thing is, if it becomes a habit, then, it will become a character.  So who will be at the losing end? How can we become the best person that we can be?  That will be the next subject in the next post.

Reference:  Think on These Things, Meditation for Leaders by John C. Maxwell

You may want to visit, read and learn from the articles on Financial Literacy and Wellness

(The author himself is a practitioner in the field of school leadership and management for almost a decade now.  He holds both the Bachelors degree and MA (CARMA) from the Philippine Normal University, Quezon and Manila Campuses.  A former auditor of the Division Elementary School Paper Advisers, Secretary of the Division Multigrade Coordinators and Teachers Ass., and currently Vice -President of Quezon Elementary School Heads Association- QUESHA, Quezon PESPA Chapter)

Habitual Tardiness, Undertime and Absenteeism Considered Administrative Offenses

By:  Florabelle R. Porras
Records Officer- Designate
DepEd Malaybalay Bukidnon
Originally posted at depedmalaybalay.net

Officers and employees in the public service except those covered by special laws are mandated under the law to render at least eight (8) hours of work daily for five (5) days in a week or a total of forty (40) hours a week, exclusive of time for lunch. As a general rule, such hours shall be from eight o’clock in the morning to twelve o’clock noon and from one o’clock to five o’clock in the afternoon daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Flexible working hours may be allowed subject to the discretion of the head of office provided that the required working hours shall not be reduced. The head of agency has the duty to require all officers and employees under him to strictly observe the prescribed office hours.

In an office, it’s quite evident that there are employees who report for work late in the morning or past 1 o’clock in the afternoon. At times, others leave from work earlier than the prescribed eight-hour work schedule in a given working day. They have all the reasons in the world when asked why they were late or why they had to take undertime. There is a need to limit the number of times an employee is allowed to be tardy, absent or go on undertime because of its inimical effect to public service. Hence, let us revisit the policies on Undertime, Tardiness and Half Day Absence and identify the corresponding sanctions/penalties for each offense which will surely prompt employees to render work within the prescribed period of time.

The CSC issued Memorandum Circular No. 16, s. 2010 promulgating the guidelines on Undertime which mentions that Undertime is not classified as tardiness. It states that any officer or employee who incurs undertime, regardless of the number of minutes/ hours, ten (10) times a month or at least two months in a semester or at least two (2) consecutive months during the year shall be liable for a Simple Misconduct and/ or Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service, as the case maybe.

Under CSC MC 23, s. 1998, Tardiness refers to the failure of an employee to report for work or resume for work on time. Any official or employee shall be considered habitually tardy if he/ she incurs tardiness regardless of minutes per day, ten times a month for Two (2) consecutive months or Two (2) months in a semester during the year. He is subject to disciplinary action: 1st offense is reprimand, 2nd offense is suspension for 1 day to 30 days and 3rd offense is DISMISSAL.

CSC MC No. 17, s. 2010 provides guidelines on HalfDayAbsence with conditions that any officer oremployee who is absent in the morning is considered to be tardy and is subject to the provision on Habitual Tardiness and any officer or employee who is absent in the afternoon is considered to have incurred undertime, subject to the provision on Undertime.

An employee who has incurred UNAUTHORIZED ABSENCES, exceeding the allowable 2.5 days monthly leave credit under the Leave Law for at least three (3) months in a semester or at least three (3) consecutive months during the year shall be considered habitually absent. Those who incur habitual absence is subject six (6) months and one (1) day to one (1) year suspension on the first offense and Dismissal on the second offense.

There shall be no off-setting of tardiness or absences by working for an equivalent number of minutes or hours by which an officer or employee has been tardy or absent, beyond the regular working hours of the employees concerned.

You may also like reading Overcoming the Procrastinator in Us and Getting Our Brand Stand Out

Why read? Six reasons why you should keep reading

From:  https://ph.she.yahoo.com/

Reading has been an essential part of our lives for thousands of years. There are various reasons why people read. Whether it is a restaurant menu, a newspaper article, a prayer booklet or the whole Epic of Gilgamesh, you can be sure that someone will enjoy reading it.

 The 35th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) advocates reading and gives us reasons why we should continue to do so.

1. It stimulates your mind

Studies from the online issue of the journal Neurology found that reading or doing other mental activities can slow the progress of or prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

According to the news portal Science Daily, the rate of mental decline of those with infrequent mental activity was quicker by 48%.

2. It help improves your focus and concentration

Unlike the experience of reading articles online wherein you can get distracted by ads or the temptation to check other websites in just a click, reading a book can help you improve your concentration because you are focused on a single item, thus helping you absorb what you read.

3. It can help you de-stress

Research conducted in 2009 by Mindlab International at the University of Sussex showed that reading is the most effective way to overcome stress. The participants of the study started to feel relaxed once they started reading.

4. It makes you more empathic

Reading fiction makes people more empathic, according to different studies made in January 2013. Being emotionally moved or touched by a story results in a boost in empathy as seen in experimental studies done during a course of one week for readers of Arthur Conan Doyle or Jose Saramago.

5. It improves your imagination and your vocabulary

Vocabulary is widened when you research on unfamiliar words you encounter in articles or stories you read. One’s imagination is also enhanced when reading because the mind tends to picture what is being read to achieve better understanding.

6. It can help fight depression

Studies from the University of Manchester published in 2013 state that people with severe depression can benefit from “low-intensity interventions” like reading self-help books.

Text courtesy of the Manila International Book Fair. Yahoo Philippines is a proud media partner.

Overcoming the Procrastinator in Us and Getting Our Brand Stand Out

By:  Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd Quezon

According to Filipino Financial Expert and Leadership guru, Francis J. Kong in his article published in the Philippine Star entitled, ‘Are You the Late Juan dela Cruz,’ the way we particularly behave and show ourselves to others is our brand.  If we think that only marketed products need branding, we too need branding. 

Francis J. Kong said that “You are a brand, just as I am my own brand and your next-door neighbor is his own brand. Who we really are and what people perceive us to be – our brand – may be two different things, but as the famous line goes, “Perception is reality!”

Many of us couldn’t deny that many of us are constant procrastinator since time we could remember.  The reason why the word Filipino Time has become a negative connotation to less than we, the latecomers ourselves.   We simply love to do things between deadlines.  We always feel like we can do things better when it’s almost time.  We find it hard to start from scratch if there’s still enough time.  I don’t know but I find it easy to start and finish things while cramming.  I’m sure others would share the same experience.

However, we have to realize that it is creating a negative images or mark on our brand.  That brand is of being a peculiar procrastinator.

We may not be the only procrastinator in town but if we are popular, we would stand out as the leader of all procrastinators.  So, we have to slowly get away from this negative label.

Francis Kong reminds us that we have to remember that our constant tardiness costs the  company or the government  money, but we need to understand that it actually costs us more. It’s because our reputation is put on the line every time we are late.

“Habitually late people are usually procrastinators who have trouble resisting immediate gratification. Sometimes, they even enjoy putting something off until the last minute. Such habits become ingrained over time. Chronic lateness is like an illness – it begins with a few symptoms that grow into a full-blown sickness.”

“Despite the consequences, tardiness is often a difficult habit to break. Battling it takes more than setting the clock 10 minutes advance. That never works. Stop making up excuses, and start managing your time with these helpful tip that Francis Kong recommends:

1. Traffic is terrible, so why not simply set out early? You will never know what may go wrong while you’re off to work or to an appointment. And then there are days when just about e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g goes wrong. But if you’ve set out for work early, you can run behind yourschedule and still be on time for the call time.
2. Compute the time it takes to do other tasks.  Travel and traffic are just two things, but what about the time it’ll take for you to secure a parking space? If it’s your first time to go to a location, consider also the time you’ll spend looking for the right address and asking for directions. 
3. Better plan the night before.  The clothes you’re going to wear, the shoes you’re going to use, the things you need to bring – if all these were prepared the night before so that all you have to do is just grab them on your way out, you will definitely save a lot of prep time. So stay organized!
4. Let technology serve, not enslave you.  Cell phones, SMS, email. These things make us available to everyone 24 hours a day. Assign only a specific time for checking and returning them. Intermittent opening would take up a lot of your time without you noticing it. You should do the same even in returning clients’ phone calls. Keep in mind that there are more than two countries in this world of ours aside from “Rush-ia” and “Urgent-tina”. Don’t get caught up with long conference calls or last-minute memos. Keep it off and open it only during break times.  For emergency, give the emergency hotline of the office or the institution you are working for.  Inform your peers, friends and family members that you could only communicate with them during break time.  It would be better if your could leave your cellphones in a locker just like those working in factories and department stores.
5. Don’t just stand there… Do something!  When there’s a job for you to do, start it immediately. It’s really rare to find people who actually work best under pressure, so don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re one. Looming deadlines become less bothersome when you start working on the task early enough and when you keep at it until it’s finished.

Kong further explained that every time we make people wait, we are communicating to them that they’re not important to us. we are robbing them of their precious time. We are silently announcing to them our arrogance. 
 
So, let us be punctual. It will reflect our character. It will build our brand every day of our life. After all since time immemorial, our forefathers, are known not only in their honesty but on punctuality.

If there is an American Time, there is Filipino Time because Filipino Time is on Time!

(Mr. Gilbert M. Forbes had his Bachelors Degree and MA in Educational Management (CAR) from the Philippine Normal University.  A campus paper adviser and trainer for 13 years.  Currently, he is a school principal in one of the central schools in the Division of Quezon.) 

Reference:

Kong, Francis J., Are You the Late Juan De la Cruz?, The Philippine Star

Forbes, Gilbert M., Getting My Brand Stand Out and Overcoming the Procrastinator in Me, A Reflection Paper Submitted at the Philippine Normal University as part of the requirements in Human Behavior and Management, First Semester 2012

What School Principals Should Be

(An Excerpt from Renee Paz De Leon or Calm Renee’s letter to her tutor SEAMEO I-EXCELS Scholars, March 11, 2008)

A rapidly changing world and new technology has created a society craving for speed and action. As leaders of the new generation, principals face incredible pressures to deliver immediate results, to do more with less, and to manage an ever-increasing personal workload. The pace and urgency of daily demands can make it difficult to see more than a step ahead into the future. But in a world of changing conditions and priorities, leaders and individual contributors alike must be able to look beyond the “now” and take a more strategic leadership approach to their work.

Image courtesy of zazzle.com

Many principals do struggle with meeting the demands of a globalized society and local constraints. In a sense the world is becoming one place. Today, the stability of all institutions including Department of Education is challenged by the rapid speed of change driven by globalization, shifting populations and integration of advanced information and communication technologies which diminishes the impact of time, space and distance.

The values of education have invariably been associated with access to a successful life and employment, scholarly activities, political activities, freedom of choice, intellectual pursuits, and most recently diversity. The academic landscape of most higher education institutions is one in which momentous changes and challenges are occurring. Portugal (2004) asserts that as student populations continue to expand nation-wide, colleges and universities will continue to offer employment opportunities for those individuals who rise to the level of quality and scholarly practice necessary for employment.  This is a challenge for all us in the academe. All of us envision that our graduates in the elementary and secondary schools shall belong to the groups that shall enter tertiary level and shall soon graduate and eventually gets employed or established his own business to support himself and his family. We leaders in the academe should have the ability to enable and develop performance of our faculty and students. Leading with vision in a constantly evolving society is paramount to the success of department of Education and the overall success of his or her own school.

Educational leaders being transformational  assert certain leadership qualities, as described by Schermerthon (1996), as having ideas and a clear  sense of direction, communicating them to others and developing excitement about working hard to accomplish shared “dream”; charisma: arousing others” enthusiasm, faith, loyalty, pride, and symbolism: empowerment: helping others to develop and perform, removing performance obstacles, sharing responsibilities and delegating truly challenging work; intellectual stimulation: gaining the involvement of others by creating awareness of problems and stirring their imagination to create huge-quality solutions; and integrity: being honest and credible, acting consistently out of personal conviction.

Leaders of today and principals of the new generation are faced with developing a new leadership framework. Principals as educational leaders should understand their strategic context and remain confident, competent and flexible in order to adapt in their continuously changing environment.

LEADERSHIP IS ALL ABOUT CREATIVITY, INNOVATION, AND PLANNING to help you reach your visions. Remember that strategic people think and act before they have to, before they are forced to take up a defensive or reactive position. True leadership entails ability to make sound, reasoned decisions- specifically consequential decisions with grave implications.

Real happiness is ...

• giving up personal attachments, recognizing that nothing and no one truly belongs to us, since all is GOD's...
• is a humble heart, free from pretensions, aware that nothing man can do is of everlasting  importance...
• . . . is kindness, seeing others as extensions of one's own self...
• . . . is doing joyfully and willingfully whatever needs to be done...
• . . . is the desire to learn, rather than to teach... . 
• . . . IS THE ABILITY TO CONGRATULATE ONESELF HAPPILY ON ONE'S OWN   UNIMPORTANCE WHILE OTHERS VIE TOGETHER FOR SUPREMACY...
• . . . is understanding that man's highest duty is to love...
• . . . is a heart reaching out to embrace all mankind as brothers and sisters...
• . . . is seeking one's work as service...

Calm Renee
3/11/08

What is Good Attitude

 By: Aurelio O. Tolentino
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 23:21:00 11/14/2010 

We may not be able to change where we come from, but at any time we have the power to change where we go.

Let me tell you about positive attitude from my experience.

I started a life with a very negative outlook. Indeed!  In my desire to improve my conditions and those around me, I acted as a critic not just of myself but also of people around me. After all, it’s said, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
In the end, I not only failed to raise my standards, but people were unhappy with me and I was unhappy with myself!  My civic work, family and Church offered little help to clarify my situation. Even now, students do not take up positive attitude in school.

Norman Vincent Peale

With this disposition, you can imagine how the 1952 book of Norman Vincent Peale, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” so impressed me. Here are quotes that kept me strong after college:

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.”

“When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.”

“Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory.”

“You can if you think you can!”

Robert H. Schuller

Then, I moved on to Robert H. Schuller who influenced my early years at entrepreneurship with his “Possibility Thinking.”  Here are his thoughts that keep my heart warm when it gets cold outside.

“Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.”

“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.”

“Any fool can count the seeds in an apple. Only God can count all the apples in one seed.”

John Maxwell

Much later, John Maxwell’s books guided me in exercising leadership with 200 people on regular status under my care. I found these treasures in his books:

“The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.”

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”

“Your success stops where your character stops. You can never rise above the limitations of your character.”

“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Stephen Covey

Then the thoughts of Stephen Covey on abundance mentality made bright my days as my company grew to more than 400 people:

There is so much to be shared in life. Look for its abundance, not its scarcity. When we share life’s abundance, we grow with others and they grow with us.

Here’s a paraphrase:

Meron ako, wala ka, share tayo.
Meron lahat tayo!
Wala ako, meron ka, share tayo.
Meron lahat tayo!
Meron ako, meron ka, share tayo.
Lubos lahat tayo!

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”  This is why I write.  Can you feel the spirit moving with all these thoughts? Can you see how the spirit of good attitude can be mightier than even the pen?

A common definition

If good attitude is so important, then we must define it and not leave its application to chance.

Remez Sasson defines it in his Internet article: “Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conducive to growth, expansion and success.”

I grew with these thoughts but had to struggle with three concerns.

First, even gangsters can apply such positive attitude at work and succeed! Why, I thought, if I had to change, I’d rather change for the better, not for the worse!

Second, positive thinking can be misconstrued as wishful thinking, braggadocio, losing touch with reality.

A man who aspires to rise above a difficult situation needs to be firmly grounded on reality. He is able to discern the quality of action leading to his aspiration and to take this kind of action from day to day.

In other words, good attitude, if it is truly good, may be translated to specific types of action that lead to success. Otherwise, such attitude is mental gymnastics, a self-delusion.

Third, at every step of any undertaking, how can we know if we’re moved by good attitude or negative attitude? If we’re not careful, we can fool even ourselves!

Evil minds can masquerade negative attitude as positive attitude to attract people to their way of thinking and behaving. Watch political ads in elections!

Define negative attitude

I thought that to clarify what positive attitude was, it would be helpful to define negative attitude.  I then had to consider all life’s nasty realities which make retreats necessary.
As shown in any altercation among people in unruly traffic, bad attitudes are human acts arising from uncontrolled anger, pride, laziness, envy, gluttony, greed, lust.

They result in a hardened heart and sickness inside.

Go back to your past experiences of bad attitudes. Test them against this definition.

Define good attitude

Then, I studied the opposite of these seven characteristics.

They are love, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, humility and self-control. Here are two, more—joy and peace.

Note the difference. Good attitude inspires; bad attitude depresses.

Let us put this distinction to a test. Would you know why the following examples inspire?

Now that we have defined good attitude, we can measure every act, every thought, every goal in accordance with what good attitude is before we launch ourselves into it.

If you know an action or event would give rise to a bad attitude or be motivated by it, would you still proceed?

We do not have to reinvent the wheel. The spirit of good attitude has been around for thousands of years, although it might not have been termed good attitude then.

Here’s the inspired reference on attitudes, Galatians 5:19-23, my source for their definition. This definition is so full of common sense that we don’t have to be Christians to believe it.

Good attitude is the key to competitiveness. It is the road of hope—the road less traveled.
But have faith and be discerning. It is the road to success. Take it.

(The writer is an entrepreneur, and author of the books “The Peso ExchangeRate: Why Are We So Poor?” and “The Philippine Economy: Do Our Leaders Have A Clue?” Feedback at map@globelines.com.ph. For previous articles, please visit map.org.ph.)

Resistance to change

By:  Francis Kong
www.franciskong.com

 Luisetti was voted college player of the year in 1937 and 1938. He finished second to George Mikan in the Associated Press’s poll to select the best player of the first half of the twentieth century.

Hank Luisetti died on December 17, 2002, living plenty long enough to see his style perfected and embellished by the likes of Earl Monroe, Julius Erving, and, of course, Michael Jordan. Had somebody not had the courage to break convention, then basketball today would have remained static and boring.

Through out history you will see that resistance to change has always been there. Hindsight is 20-20 vision. Today as we look back we find it humorous. Take for instance this story:

In the late nineteenth century, a controversy erupted among educators about a new American invention. For decades, students had used lead pencils in doing their work. But in 1880, a technological breakthrough came. For the first time, they began attaching rubber erasers on the ends of pencils.

This had never been done before. And many educators opposed the use of this newfangled pencil on the ground that it encouraged students to make mistakes. “Let them avoid errors in the first place, and they won’t need an eraser.”

When calculators were introduced accounting and engineering professors were against the machine. The devices were prohibited entry into the classroom. One accounting professor proclaimed with passion and conviction that those who persist in using the calculator will become dumb. Of course today, if you are not using the calculator you are already dumb. When was the last time you ever see someone carrying the slide rule and algorithm to class? Hardly.

Be open to change. But stick firm to biblical values.

These are the only thing that should never change for it they do change then they are not considered values in the first place.

Make change your friend. People who soar and succeed are those who refuse to live in the past but whole eyes sparkle with the prospect of the future embracing change along the way.

Also see:  Innovate or Die

Getting Smart With Kids Key In Maximizing Their Learning Potential

By Gilbert M. Forbes
http://www.factoidz.com/

Teachers and parents pretty much experience challenges in their daily dealings with kids and teenagers at home and in school. Different behaviors and attitudes are prevalent of which learning would suffer if adults are unable to tame and make them cooperate.

It is therefore necessary that teachers are smart enough to identify individual behaviors of her pupils. In the case of the parents or guardian, how their children behave in varying situations. Knowing how they react to varying stimuli around them is a great advantage.

Basically, the following tips could help teachers and adults. We call them the 5-B’s of Getting Smart With Kids.

1. Background Information Check. Upon enrolment, important information regarding the child should be secured. Anything that may hamper or help him succeeds in school. These data should be made available to teachers and the parents as well being the primary partner of educators in educating the child.
2. Being child like without being childish. click to continue reading

Improving the School System for Quality Learning

By Gilbert M. Forbes
Principal, Padre Burgos Central School
Padre Burgos, Quezon

Raising the standards and quality of education in our schools depends largely on the existing system that the school effectively follows and implements.  Actually, as former DepEd Secretary Lesli Lapus puts it when he took office, there is no more need to reinvent the wheel.  What school leaders, teachers and the rest of the school stakeholders need to do are to keep it rolling.

Aside from making the existing system works and the wheel rolling, Kathy O’Neill, Director of Learning Centered Development Program based in the US suggested the following which we may be acquainted already but we’re only doing some only for compliance.

• Using Data to Focus Improvement.  We have it already under our so called School Basic Education Information System.  What we need to do is to enrich it aside from looking for trend.  One way to enrich it is to take it down to the classroom level seriously.  Lots of data are generated every year.  All we need is to utilize it fully and design a workable program out of it in consultation with the stakeholders which should be integrated in the School Improvement Plan.  It should always be remembered that schools that successfully improve student achievement regularly use data to guide decisions about instruction, student support and professional development.

• Creating a High-Performance Learning Culture.  It is uncommon to see schools fully supporting a school which support a true culture of excellence due to underlying behaviorial, attitudinal, and values prevalent under the present circumstances in the Philippine School System.  If itsn’t the school leader, problems lie mainly on teachers and other stakeholders who still prefer mediocrity versus quality and excellence popularly known as ‘puwede na yan’ and ‘bakit pa’ attitude.   Schools cannot improve when the culture does not support school improvement. Often in the push to improve quickly, the school's culture is forgotten. School leaders should learn what that culture is and why it must be challenged, changed and cultivated for the better; what roles leaders play in growing the culture; and what tools and strategies are available to help leaders foster a culture that supports improvement, high expectations and the well-being of students.

• Using Root Cause Analysis to Reduce Student Failure.  Improving student learning by changing classroom and school practices both requires and results in changes to a school's culture. Culture also impacts how and what improvements are made to benefit student learning, and data can be a powerful lever to explore inequities, expose systemic biases, and change beliefs and practices needed to improve the achievement of disenfranchised pupils and stakeholders. We need to gain analytical tools to uncover the real problems that school leaders need to address to close success gaps in schools. Aside from the school leaders, teachers being at the forefront of the teaching and learning has a pivotal role in this regard.  One way to do it is the so called student tracking system long time promoted by DepEd in the late 90’s.  Another way is identification of highly at risked children through the Project REACH and DORP, the promotion of at least basic but strong guidance and counseling program, and basic parenting seminars in our schools.

• Providing Focused and Sustained Professional Development.  Professional development is a powerful tool for changing schools, yet professional development is frequently done poorly and results in little or no positive change.  This is a long time ago.  With the introduction of the NCBTS and CB-PAST, individual teachers now has a hand and a say on what professional development assistance they need.  The first and foremost need however is how could teachers fully utilized these tools when current observations point out that they usually don’t know where they really are.   This a major challenged that is seen so far which school leaders should  attend.  School leaders should lead teachers in the realization that standards are standards.  It is non-negotiable.  For one to claim that he/she is able to meet one standard or is competent of doing something should be evidenced-driven and is highly observable on varying degrees.

• Organizing Resources for a Learning-Centered School.  How can schools more effectively use time and resources for teaching, planning and professional learning?

• Building Instructional Leadership Teams That Make a Difference.  The heart of leadership is the willingness to assume responsibility. Schools that improve and sustain improvement use teams to lead school reform. A crying need exists for teachers to lead by taking a more formal and explicit role in the supervision and improvement of instruction. 

• Communicating to Engage Stakeholders in School Improvement.  Effective communication is the key to an improving school community. Often the best intentions are sidetracked by poor communication. One feature of poor communication which doesn’t promote strong stakeholders involvement is the lack of transparency and enough for full cooperation characterized by mutual understanding and democracy.  On extreme cases aside from monetary issues, clash with the PTA’s leadership come into being when school administration appear to be autocratic instead of democratic and consultative.

• Leading School Change to Improve Student Achievement.  School leaders have gotten used to the idea that "the only constant is change." Productive school leaders understand the forces that influence the change process and can direct these forces for continuous school improvement. Learn how to lead change rather than react to it.

• Benchmarking and Coaching for School Improvement.  Schools undergoing transformational school improvement processes often need external models or bench-mark and coaches to help them through the process. The main challenge however in our schools is that too few want to share their secrets of success.   While any school could benchmarked a model school, they base it merely on outside and observable indicators because more often than not, selfish desire sad to say exists due to shallowness of professional beliefs and values as successful school leader implementers would often see other school leaders as competitors to their possible rise to the educational ladder.

Certainly, there are no shortcuts in making our school continuously improve and be a quality and excellent one.  The great challenge however to achieve it in a long sustainable and continuing way is for us to change our attitudes and values for the common good.  All best systems are already there.  The only thing and the main challenge is for us is to make those systems work.

(We welcome reactions, sharing and additional ideas in relation to this article.  All that will help our schools.)

(Mr. Gilbert M. Forbes had his Bachelors Degree and MA in Educational Management (CAR) from the Philippine Normal University.  A campus paper adviser and trainer for 13 years.  Currently, he is a school principal in one of the central schools in the Division of Quezon.) 

Essence of Genuine Leaders

By Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd Quezon, IV-A CALABARZON 

Yesterday, I was reminded of a message of our honorable councilor about the importance of true leadership.  The importance of serving and leading not for recognition but for the benefits of the needy.  He expounded on the fact that a true leader should be into denial of self.

He particularly mentioned a part of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines law which states that as a true Scout, “I will do my best to do my duty to GOD and my country . . . ., to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.,” the last, he says is still intended for the sustenance of service to others.

While reflecting on this message, I just can’t help but to compare it to some of our education leaders today and those who are aspiring for leadership.  What kind of leader am I and they?  Those who are aspiring to be one, I just cant help but question their motives, why?  Are not they aware of what they are entering into?

To those who are already leaders who are now becoming wishy-washy, self-serving how come they are?  And those who are into rumors of corruption of irresponsibility, why have they become and what are being done by their constituents who are also leaders in their own right to stop them.

St. Paul through his letter to Timothy recognizes the fact that to aspire for leadership is an honorable ambition but God also warns us in Jeremiah 45:5 that, Should you then seek great things for yourself?  Seek them not.  Mark 10:43-44 said it further that Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  

It is clear that to aspire for Leadership should not be for the purpose of escaping from something, or just for the benefit of trying something new.  Nonetheless, it should not be a clandestine path to earthly recognition, bogus respect, following, and social mobility. Instead, our motives should be noble, holy and sacred.

Having none of the last, current and aspiring leaders should think twice of what the true leadership is.

(Mr. Gilbert M. Forbes had his Bachelors Degree and MA in Educational Management (CAR) from the Philippine Normal University.  A campus paper adviser and trainer for 13 years.  Currently, he is a school principal in one of the central schools in the Division of Quezon.) 

National Competency-Based Standards for School Heads (NCBS- SH)

Many teachers could be thinking and wondering why they are only the subject of a national competency standards while their immediate superiors, the school heads are not.  But its not actually the case for like the teachers who are considered as the heart of the school system, school heads too will be under a national competency standards as stated in DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2010,

Guiding Principles in the Framing of the NCBS –SH

The following are the principles which guided the framing of the NCBS-SH.

• Function - based. The competencies are based on school head functions as stated in RA 9155, related laws and DepEd policies.
• Responsive. Competencies are applicable in any range of context: big or small school, city or rural school, culturally divergent groups.
• Impartial. These are applicable to any school head regardless of position item, gender, age, experience and other personal circumstances.
• Coherent. These are clear and logical.
• Valid. All performance indicators are research-and experience-based.

CORE PRINCIPLE
School heads are competent, committed and accountable in providing access to quality and relevant education for all all through transformational leadership and high degree of professionalism.


DOMAINS AND COMPETENCY STRANDS

Domain 1.  School Leadership

     1.A. Developing and Communicating Vision, Mission, Goals, and Objectives (VMGO)

• Expresses ownership and personal responses to the identified issues.
• Involves internal and external stakeholders in formulating and achieving school vision, mission, goals and objectives.
• Expresses ownership and personal responses to the identified issues.
• Aligns goals and objectives with the school vision and mission to identified issues.
• Gives personal response consistent with the school's vision.
• Communicates the school VMGO clearly.
• Explains the school vision to the general public.
• Revisits and ensures that school activities are aligned with the school VMGO.

     1.B. Data-Based Strategic Planning

• Establishes BEIS/SIS and baseline data of all performance indicators/ involves all internal and external stakeholders in developing SIP/AlP.
• Utilizes data, e.g, BEIS/SIS,SBM assessment, TSNA, and' strategic planning in the development of SIP/AlP.
• Aligns the SlP/AIP with national, regional and local education policies and thrusts.
• Communicates effectively SIP/AlP to internal and external stakeholders.

     1.C. Problem Solving

• Resolves problems at the school level.
• Assists teachers and students to understand problems and identify possible solutions.
• Analyzes causes of problems critically and objectively.
• Addresses the causes of the problem rather than the symptoms.

     1.D. Building High Performance Teams

• Explores several approaches in handling problems.
• Demonstrate a proactive approach to problem solving.
• Involves stakeholders in meetings and deliberations for decision making.
• Sets high expectations and challenging goals.
• Provides opportunities for growth for growth and development of members as team players.
• Defines roles and functions of each committee.
• Monitors and evaluates accomplishment of different committees/teams.
• Gives feedback on the team's performance using performance - based assessment tool.
• Establishes a system for rewards and benefits for teachers and staff.

     1.E.  Coordinating With Others

• Collaborates with concerned staff on the planning and implementation of programs and projects.
• Ensures proper allocation and utilization of resources (time, fiscal, human, IMS, etc.)
• Provides feedback and updates to stakeholders on the status of progress and completion of programs and projects.
• Mobilizes teachers/staff in sustaining a project.

     1.F.  Leading and Managing Change

• Maintains an open, positive and encouraging attitude toward change.
• Assists teachers in identifying strengths and growth areas through monitoring and observation.
• Introduces innovations in the school program to achieve higher learning outcomes.
• Monitors and evaluates the implementation of change programs included in SIP/AlP.
• Observes and applies multi-tasking in giving assignments.
• Advocates and executes plans for changes including culture' change in the workplace
•  Empowers teachers and personnel to identify, initiate and manage changes.

Domain 2.  Instructional Leadership

     2.A. Assessment for Learning

• Manages the processes and procedures in monitoring student achievement
• Ensures utilization of a range of assessment processes to assess student performance
• Assesses the effectiveness of curricular/co-curricular programs and / or instructional strategies.
• Utilizes assessment results to improve learning.
• Creates & manages a school process to ensure student progress is conveyed to students and parents/guardians, regularly.

     2.B.. Developing Programs and or Adopting Existing Programs

• Develops/adapts a research based school program.
• Assists in implementing an existing, coherent and responsive school-wide curriculum
• Addresses d~ciencies and sustains successes of current programs in collaboration with teachers, and learners
• Develops a culture of functional literacy.

     2. C. Implementing Programs for Instructional Improvement

• Manages the introduction of curriculum initiatives in line with DepEd policies (e.g. BEC, Madrasah)
• Works with teachers in curriculum review.
• Enriches curricular offerings based on local needs.
• Manages curriculum innovation and enrichment with the use of technology.
• Organizes teams to champion instructional innovation programs toward curricular responsiveness

     2.D. Instructional Supervision

• Prepares and implements an instructional supervisory plan
• Conducts Instructional Supervision using appropriate strategy
• Evaluates lesson plans as well as classroom and learning management
• Provides in a collegial manner timely, accurate and specific feedback to teachers' regarding their performance.
• Provides expert technical assistance and instructional support to teachers.

Domain 3.  Creating a Student Centered Learning Climate

     3. A. Setting high social and academic expectations

• Benchmarks school performance.
• Establishes and models high social and academic expectations for all
• Creates an engaging learning environment.
• Participates in the management of learner behavior within the school and other school related activities done outside the school.
• Supports learners desire to pursue further learning
• Recognizes high performing learners and teachers and supportive parents and other stakeholders

     3.B. Creating school environments focused on the needs of the learner

• Creates and sustains a safe, orderly, nurturing and healthy, environment.
• Provides environment that promotes use of technology among learners and teachers.

Domain 4.  HR Management and Professional Development

     4.A. Creating a Professional Learning Community

• Builds a community of learners among teachers
• Assesses and analyzes the needs and interests of teachers and other school personnel,
• Ensures that the School Plan for Professional Development(SPPD) emerges from the Individual Professional Plan for 'Development (IPPD) and other identified needs of school personnel included in the SIP/AIP.
• Includes the SPPD in the SIP/AlP.
• Mentors and coaches employees and facilitates the induction of new ones
• Recognizes potential of staff and provides opportunities for professional development
• Ensures that the objectives of the school development plan are supported with resources for training and development programs.
• Prepares, implements, and monitors school-based INSET for all teaching staff based on IPPD’s
• Monitors and evaluates school-based INSETs.

     4.B. Recruitment and Hiring

• Utilizes the basic qualification standards and adheres to pertinent policies in recruiting and hiring teachers/ staff
• Creates and trains School Selection and Promotion Committee and trains its members.
• Recommends better ways and means to improve recruitment, hiring and performance appraisal of teachers.

     4.C. Managing Performance of Teachers and Staff

• Assigns teachers and other personnel to their area of Competence.
• Assists teachers and staff in setting and resetting performance goals.
• Monitors and evaluates performance of teaching and nonteaching personnel vis-a-vis targets.
• Delegates specific tasks to help manage the performance of teaching and non-teaching personnel.
• Coaches deputized staff as needed on managing performance.
• Creates a functional school-based performance appraisal committee.
• Assists and monitors the development of IPPD of each teacher.

Domain 5.  Parents Involvement and Community Partnership

     5.A. Parental Involvement

• Establishes school and family partnerships that promote student peak performance.
• Organizes programs that involve parents and other school stakeholders to promote learning.
• Conducts dialogues, fora, training of teachers, learners and' parents on the welfare and improves performance of learners.

     5.B. External Community Partnership

• Promotes the image of the school through school summit, State of the School Address (SOSA), cultural shows, learners' project exhibits, fairs, etc.
• Conducts dialogues and meetings with multi-stakeholders in crafting programs and projects.
• Participates actively in community affairs.
• Establishes sustainable linkages / partnership with other sectors, agencies and NGOs through MOA/ MOU or using Adopt-a-School Program policies.

Domain 6.  SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION

     6.A. Managing School Operations

• Manages the implementation, monitoring and review of the SIP/AlP and other action plans.
• Establishes and maintains specific programs to meet needs of identified target groups.
• Takes the lead in the design of a school physical plant facilities improvement plan in consultation with an expert.
• Allocates/prioritizes funds for improvement and maintenance of school physical facilities and equipments.
• Oversees school operations and care and use of school facilities according to set guidelines.
• Institutionalizes best practices in managing and monitoring school operations thereby creating a safe, secure and clean learning environment.
• Assigns/ hires appropriate support personnel to manage school operations.

     6.B.  Fiscal Management

• Prepares a financial management plan.
• Develops a-school budget which is consistent with SIP/AIP.
• Generates and mobilizes financial resources.
• Manages school resources in accordance with DepEd policies and accounting and auditing rules and regulations and other pertinent guidelines.
• Accepts donations, gifts, bequests and grants in accordance with RA 9155.
• Manages a process for the registration, maintenance and replacement of school assets and dispositions of non-reusable properties.
• Organizes a procurement committee and ensures that the official procurement process is followed.
• Utilizes funds for approved school programs and projects as reflected in SIP/AlP.
• Monitors utilization, recording and reporting of funds
• Accounts for school fund.
• Prepares financial reports and submits / communicates the same to higher education authorities and other education partners.

     6.C. Use of Technology in the Management of Operations

• Applies Information Technology (IT) plans for online communication
• Uses IT to facilitate the operationalization of the school management system (e.g. school information system, student tracking system, personnel information system)
• Uses IT to access Teacher Support Materials (TSM), Learning support Materials (LSM) and assessment tools in accordance with the guidelines.
• Shares with other school heads the school's experience in the use of new technology.

DOMAIN 7.  Personal and Professional Attributes and Interpersonal Effectiveness

     7.A. Professionalism

• Manifests genuine enthusiasm and pride in the nobility of the teaching profession.
• Observes and demonstrates desirable personal and  professional (RA 6713 & Code of Ethics RA 7836) behaviors like respect, honesty, dedication, patriotism and genuine concern for others at all times.
• Maintains harmonious relations with superiors, colleagues, subordinates, learners, parents and other stakeholders.
• Makes appointments, promotions and transfers on the bases of merit and needs in the interest of the service.
• Maintains good reputation with respect to financial, matters such as the settlement of his/her debts, loans and other financial affairs.
• Develops programs and projects for continuing personal and professional development including moral recovery and values formation among teaching and non-teaching personnel.

     7.B. Communication

• Communicates effectively to staff and other stakeholders in both oral and written forms.
• Listens to stakeholders' needs and concerns and responds appropriately in consideration of the political, social, legal and cultural context.

     7.C.  Interpersonal Sensitivity

• Interacts appropriately with a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrates ability to empathize with others.

     7.D. Fairness, Honesty and Integrity

• Observes Award System and a system of assistance for teachers staff to sustain integrity, honesty and fairness in all school practices.
• Demonstrates integrity, honesty and fairness all his/her dealings and transactions.
• Makes individuals accountable for their actions.

With these standards, teachers would no longer envy their school heads as to the volume of work and responsibility they are expected to perform.

This national competency standards too will ensure the continuing flow of dedicated and passionate applicants to the school heads position and not those wishy washy type whos primary and common agenda is to have higher pay, prestige, and easy work as formerly perceived by many of a school head position.

(This material is based on the attachment to a Division Memorandum No. 141, s. 2010 dated June 1, 2010 of the City Schools Division of Marikina as stumbled upon by The Learning Captain through google search.  Take note that, the presentation is identical with NCBTS and so it is expected that the process of rating is the same.)

Trends and Issues: Roles of School Heads as Instructional Leader, Administrator and Manager

By:  Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd Quezon, CALABARZON

As the Philippine Public Educational System draws near 2015 which is the deadline of meeting Education for All goals (EFA),  it is also marching towards the most demanding ages of the 21st century- ‘behooving all educational leaders to reflect, analyze, plan and take action in order to cope with multifaceted changes in the border-less marketplace’ (Delagoza 1996).  This is regardless of the challenges, threats and internal problems and issues that the educational system is experiencing, and the common orientation that school managers’ position currently implies.

  For this matter, effective school managers are expected to be academically goal oriented and supervise instructional and co-curricular practices accordingly. They motivate and support the teachers, encourage the community and other school stakeholders to be involved in the educational program, and encourage participatory decision making.  They are also faced with the complex task of creating a school wide vision, being an instructional leader- planning for effective professional development, guiding teachers, handling discipline, attending important events and needs, and all the other minute details that come with supervising and managing a school (Richard 2000).  The job of a school principal if not more demanding and difficult than an ordinary teacher, is expected to be equal, hence “the quality of school principals as school managers is a factor in improving the quality of education” (EDCOM 1992).

    Various studies support the idea that ‘it is the leadership of the school that makes a difference between mediocrity and excellence (Hugghes 1991).  One can always point to the principal’s leadership as the key to success of a school that is vibrant and has a reputation of excellence in teaching.  Indeed, the school manager is the keystone in the building of effective schools.  (Licuanan 1994) found that the nine positive outliner schools or outstandingly effective schools in the country do have similarly effective principals.  There is a positively significant correlation between effective principals and effective schools.

    (Clemente 1996) emphasized the need to identify and develop education managers fit to pilot schools into the 21st Century. In this light he gives the characteristics that school managers should possess. The first characteristic is the capacity to contribute to the academic performance, second the capacity to promote culture in a given academic year, third, the capacity to promote sports, fourth, the capacity to manage limited resources and the last, the capacity for innovation in academics, culture, sports and resource management.


Leaders as Learners

    Even when schools are not actively in reform projects, principals and district administrators find themselves confronting issues for which they have not been trained.  This may include demographic shifts, more rigorous academic standards, various teacher’s behaviors, integration of special-needs students into regular classrooms, gang and fraternal trouble, and even sexual harassment and molestation of students.

    But no area better illustrates the challenges of unfamiliar ground than technology.  They find themselves being called to decide complex human and technical issues (Andrew Trotter 1997).  For this matter, they are increasingly defining themselves as learners, not just doers, constantly scanning the environment for new ideas, tools, and solutions.  To do so, they must overcome numerous barriers: lack of time, insufficient rewards, fear that visibly engaging in learning is an admission of imperfection, and negative attitudes from previously poorly conceived professional development activities (Roland Barth 1977).  School systems can help overcome these obstacles by creating learning opportunities that are reflective, collegial, unconventional, and principal centered.

    At the same time, the complexities of change require learning that is more than a solo activity aimed at individual mastery.  Instead, leaders must work to create “learning communities” in which the entire school works together to solve the problems confronting it (Shirley Hord 1997).  Leaders create and sustain learning by sharing decisions, nurturing a common vision, and providing support for staff learning.  They operate colegially, “leading from the center,” placing themselves physically and psychologically among the teachers, stimulating discussion of teaching and learning at every opportunity.


Manager as a Moral Leader

    Leaders require followers, and some observers see signs that school leadership is slowly losing its following.  Administrators seem to get less respect than before.  Due possibly to certain factors as political intervention, leadership styles and practice, level of intelligence and communication abilities, and the rumors on how and where he is able to finish his graduate degree.  In this way, lesser respect and at the outset no more respect plus political attacks are becoming more common.  Moreover, some thoughtful critics argue that traditional public support is eroding, and that the public is “halfway out the schoolhouse door” (David Mathews 1996).  Whereas school leaders of long ago inherited moral authority, today they have to earn it.

    In part, moral authority comes from adherence to basic ethical principles such as honesty, fairness, hard- work and compassion.  For example, periodic reports or rumors of “irregularities” in conducting district and division assessment tests or even national tests such as NEAT and NSAT, corruption and even elicit affairs have raised questions about administrative ethics (Bess Keller 1998); even when unproved, the allegations undermine public faith in education.  While there is no evidence that school leaders are less ethical than other professionals, there is also no reason for complacency.  In a survey of superintendents in the U.S., William Fenstermaker (1996) found that when given an ethical dilemma with a number of proposed solutions, over half chose a response that would be considered unethical by their code of ethics.  Fenstermaker concluded that many administrators were either unaware of the ethical issues involved or did not care.  The same could also be true in the Philipppine setting although there’s no available data or research yet that may disclose this possibility.

    However, moral authority requires more than individual ethical excellence.  Leaders must create a consensus on purpose and practice that serves as the moral standard for everyone in the school (Thomas Sergiovanni 1996) aside from the code of ethics being implemented to all.  By continually raising questions and purpose, institutionalizing shared values, and motivating others by example, school leader establish a “moral voice” that infuses the school community.  Sergiovanni argues that principals go astray when they treat their schools as formal organizations rather than as living communities.  Research by Susan Moore Johnson (1998) similarly suggests that educational leadership be built on virtues such as honesty and respect.  She found that new superintendents established their credibility by initially listening and learning before making judgments or imposing solutions.

Responding to Challenges and other Issues

    So far, school leaders in the first world and in the newly industrialized countries seem to be responding to the new challenges by simply working harder.  Principals in these countries become enslaved to the job’s daily demands, responding to each crisis as it occurs, kept off balance by “the constant bombardment of new tasks and the continual interruptions” (Michael Fullan 1998). As a result, there was a big turn- over.  A study of elementary and middle school principals conducted by the National Association of School Principals in the U.S. in 1998 found that 42 percent turnover that has existed during the last ten years is likely to continue into the next decade (Doud and Keller 1998).  They point to many factors that make the principalship highly stressful: long hours of work- for most, a 60 to 80- hour work a week, workload and complexity of job, supervision of evening activities “unending,” minimal pay difference between the top teacher and administrator, feeling overwhelmed with very high expectations, state and district mandates that require “mountains” of paperwork, and increasingly complex society and social problems.  The increasing demands of the position can cause many principals to feel the stress is not worth it.

    The situation in the Philippines is quite different.  While it is expected that majority of the school principals at present are about to leave their positions, it isn’t because of the stress as a result of increasing demands in their positions as instructional leader and manager but because they are retiring.  At present being a school administrator is still seen as the easiest way out for teachers especially the master teachers to escape the demands and stress of being a classroom teacher even when it will mean a decrease on their monthly pay.  Not to include here is the honor and prestige that goes with being a school leader as well as the unstressful nature of the job as they might think it to be. This is thereby seen as the motivating factor of the relatively higher number of graduate students taking up graduate education in school management and administration.  The 1994- 95 data on graduate enrollment shows that 43.8% of the total enrollment was in teacher education.  The doctoral level is far higher having a share of 62.6% (Garcia 1996). Thus, it is predicted to increase further encouraging the proliferation of ‘diploma mill’ type of institutions and unqualified graduates.  From this vantage, it appears that their ability to respond to new challenges is questionable; hence, “it is preposterous to think of a bureaucracy manned by full-fledged MA’s and Ph.D’s who know little about their disciplines”(Angel Alcala 1996).  Given the fact that the kind of school management being employed by our school managers is far beyond compare with those in progressive countries, it is not surprising that there is still much to be desired when it comes to quality.

    In so doing, DepEd has implemented the merit system for those who will be moving to the administrative and leadership ladder.  However, still quiet a big weight is given to graduate educational qualifications.  But at least, it has equalized the opportunity particularly for those performing school managers viz their not so much performing counterparts who have already completed their graduate studies.

    Along the way there are many efficient leaders who seem to be searching for the right balance between managing and leading. Cascadden found that, these principals recognized and accepted both functions as essential but reported that the reform movement was squeezing them between contradictory demands.  On the one hand, restructuring has pushed more management decisions to the school site; on the other hand, the current management theories emphasized the importance of empowering leadership.  This creates an obvious time crunch, as well as the challenge of being both efficient and collaborative- in a system that retains a top-down orientation.  In the country however, the situations mentioned already support the reason why top-down orientation still remains and quite slow to transform itself on the new principles of leadership and management through empowerment.  But then, it is also good to review and reform the management functions of the present and future breed of school managers to make them more productive, dynamic and efficient like their counterparts in various part of the world.  They should be made ready to meet the challenges of this constantly changing world particularly now in the face of the effective implementation of School Based Management (SBM).

(Mr. Gilbert M. Forbes had his Bachelors Degree and MA in Educational Management (CAR) from the Philippine Normal University.  A campus paper adviser and trainer for 13 years.  Currently, he is a school principal in one of the central schools in the Division of Quezon.)

Resources:

Barsaga, Eligio B., “Assessment of the Multigrade Program in the Philippine Education (MPPE), The Philippine Journal of Education, Vol. LXXIVIII, No., 1998

Clemente, Alejandro W., “Philippine Education into the 21st Century,” Joer Printing Services, Quezon City 1996

Delagoza, Rolando S., “Educational Leadership in Times of Change and Transition,” The Philippine Journal of Education, Vol. LXXIVIII

Forbes, Gilbert M., “The School Management/Administration,” An Unpublished Reaction Paper for the Course Educational Environment at the Graduate College, Philippine Normal University, Manila 1999

Garcia, Ester A., “General Directions for Graduate Education: The CHED Viewpoint,” Sangguni Vol.IX No. 1, Philippine Normal University, Manila 1997

Hertling Elisabeth, “Retaining Principals,” College of Education, University of Oregon U.S.A., Eric Digest 2001

“Modernizing Philippine Education,” Master Plan for Basic Education (1996-2005), Department of Education Culture and Sports, Manila, Philippines

“Trends and Issues: Role of the School Leader,” Clearinghouse on Educational Management, College of Education, University of Oregon, ERIC/CEM 2001

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Principal's Should Be Effective Managers- Luistro

Department of Education Secretary Armin Luistro has callеd on all principals to bе morе proactivе in managing schools bеcausе studеnt performance is a reflection of how wеll thе principals perform thеir job.  (this article is lifted from www.depedteacher.blogspot.com)

Spеaking during thе Principals’ Forum of thе National Capital Region – Philippine Еlеmеntary School Principals’ Association (NCR-PЕSPA), Luistro likеnеd thе principals to his trustеd captains manning thе frontlinеs: “If wе wеrе in a battlefield, you arе in thе trеnchеs, in thе thick of battlе еgging your soldiеrs to fight on. You arе thе first linе of dеfеnsе who havе thе fееl of thе tеrrain, thе full grasp of thе situation and who know thе capability of your еvеry soldiеr.” Thе forum aimеd to enhance thе qualitiеs of principals as school managers who arе rеsponsiblе for thе learning outcomе of studеnts.

Luistro strеssеd that hе and othеr DеpЕd officials cannot not takе crеdit for what truly bеlongs to thе principals’ - thе direct management of schools. “Wе can only sеt thе dirеction and providе thе vision, support еndеavors and drеams. But it is thе principals who arе truly responsible whеn it comеs to school outcomеs and who dictate thе tempo of progress in thеir rеspеctivе placе of assignments.” PЕSPA is a national association of Elementary school hеads which supports Deped’s programs and activities.

To datе, thе secretary has alrеady visitеd 25 schools unannouncеd. Hе would sit at thе back row and obsеrvе how thе teachers conduct classеs and if thе students connеct. This is part of his unorthodox way of monitoring thе statе of public schools and how thеy arе bеing run by thе school hеads. His school visits also allow him to sее know how first hand thе resource gaps that nееd to bе urgеntly addrеssеd.

“In еight of my tеn visits, I must admit that I am inspirеd by what I saw and еxpеriеncеd whilе obsеrving from thе back row. But thеrе wеrе also sad storiеs that makе my hеart sink,” Luistro sharеd.

Luistro said that principals should not bе confinеd in thеir officеs but out in thе schools whеrе thе action is. “Principals, who just stay in thеir officеs and do not pеrsonally monitor thе situation in thеir rеspеctivе schools, do not transform Philippine education.

• Thе principals should bе doing thе rounds,
• inquiring on thе nееds of thе tеachеrs,
• fееling thеir inadеquaciеs, 
• sharing thеir joy and 
• sympathizing in thеir griеf 

 bеcausе principals should bе on top of everything that happеns in thе school,” hе addеd.

Luistro еxplainеd that principals should possess thе capability to translatе thе vision of thе dеpartmеnt into rеality, of translating plans into action.

An eternal optimist, Luistro said that, “I always want to sее and draw out thе bеst in еvеryonе. To maximizе thе potеntial of thе young students, wе should also maximize thе potеntial of thе teachers and thе principals.”

Thе department is pushing for thе adoption of thе national competency-based standards for school hеads;

• thе administration of thе national qualifying examination for principals; 
• thе development and implementation of programs to еnhancе thе managerial and leadership competencies of principals;
• thе downloading of thе maintеnancе and othеr operating еxpеnsеs; and 
• thе allocation of rеsourcеs basеd on nееds.

Deped sееs that education reforms can only happеn if thе principals arе handson. Thеy should also ablе to inspirе thеir constituеnts, to еnеrgizе thе pеoplе bеlow us and еarn thе rеspеct of thosе abovе thеm. “Principals should bе ablе to corrеct, to еncouragе, to sеt thе standard and to livе by еxamplе,” Luistro еxplainеd.

Hе addеd that asidе from school administrators, thеy should also bе thе “dirеct link to thе community who will opеn thе door for morе stakеholdеrs to invеst in public еducation. Thеy should bе ablе to еngagе thе local dеcision-makеrs, thе private sеctor, thе non-government organizations so that thеy can bе our partnеrs in achieving our school improvement plans.”

All of thеsе arе thе essence of School Basеd Management. “Thеsе arе part of DеpЕd’s vision to makе principals not just educators, but еffеctivе managеrs as wеll,” hе said.

Luistro also noticеd thе fast turnovеr of principals, which to him is not thе idеal situation. Hе wants to push that bеginning nеxt yеar, thе tеrm of thе principal should not bе lеss than thrее yеars but not morе than fivе yеars.

“Wе havе to givе our principals еnough timе to еnablе thеm to fully implеmеnt what thеy havе sеt out to do and maybе еnjoy thе fruits of what thеy havе sown. Lеt us givе our principals thеir momеnt to еnjoy thе dividеnds from all thеir physical, intеllеctual and еmotional invеstmеnts,” furthеrеd Luistro.

“Malaki ang tiwala ko sa aking principals. (I havе grеat trust to my principals.) I еntrust you thе teachers and thе studеnts. Parents entrust you thеir childrеn. Thе nation еntrusts you thе futurе. Tiwala ako na hindi nyo ako bibiguin, (I am confidеnt that you will not fail mе.) bеcausе you arе thе department,” said thе Deped chiеf.

(Reposted from an original article as described in the link entitled, Principal Performance: 8 out of 10 rated Inspiring on Unannounced Visit)