THE ROLE OF A HEADTEACHER
The Headmaster or Principal may be described as the solar orbit around whom all the teacher planets revolve. In fact, as a head of the administration in the school, he may be compared to a head of the state. The students correspond to the army, the staff to the body of officers and the campus correspond to the territory. A better analogy is given by Ryburn when he compares the head teacher to the captain of a ship, who like the captain in the ship, holds the key position in the school
1 Pivot of the administrative machinery
Headmaster or principal holds the key position in the school. He is the hub of the school activity. He draws the whole plan of the school, executes the plan, distributes work and coordinates the activities. He ensures smooth functioning and harmonious development of the whole school program. The success of the school system depends upon his efficiency, alertness, sagacity, imagination, originality and experience. His personality casts a strong formidable imprint on the school program. Dr. Jaswant Singh aptly remarks, “The Headmaster or the Principal of a school is the hub of the educational process. On his ability and skill, as a sound and effective educational leader, depends the success of a school system”. A headmaster is the leader and centre of the whole organization of the school. P. C. Wren beautifully explains the role of the headmaster in the following words:
What the mainspring is to the watch, the fly-wheel to the machine or the engine to the steamship, the headmaster is to the school. The character of the school reflects and proclaims the professional character of the headmaster. He is the seal and the school is the wax”.
He is organizer, leader, governor, business director, coordinator, superintendent, example, teacher, guide, philosopher and friend.
Mohi-ud-din gives further explanation of the same point: “No school can succeed if the teachers in it work only as individuals and not as a group. But just every group needs a leader, so also a school must have a leader who would stimulate and direct its work. Such a leader is the headmaster”.
There is no denying the fact that everything in the school , the staff, the curriculum, the methods of instruction, the discipline, the co-curricular activities, the daily schedule and the general atmosphere and tone of the school is fashioned in the mould after the headmaster. As the headmaster, so is the school. It may be recalled that some schools in England are still named after their reputed headmasters e.g. Harrow’s school, Rugby school, etc.
In the words of the Central Advisory Board of Education, “No scheme of educational reconstruction will produce the desired result unless it is administered with vision and efficiency”. The person who plans with vision and executes with responsibility is virtually the headmaster. The school is aptly called the lengthened shadow of the headmaster because the character of the school reflects or proclaims the character of the headmaster. In fact he is the monarch of all he surveys.
2 Liaison between the outer world and the school
Inside the school, the headmaster or the principal is the leader - the pivot. But his role is rather more extensive. On the one hand, he is responsible for carrying out the orders and the policies of the educational authorities as well as the managing committee, on the other hand, he establishes the link between the society and the school, by having contacts with the parents, the employers, the higher authorities of other institutions and the general public. He has a special status in the society. The bestowing of the president’s award to the capable headmasters in the country has verily increased the status of the headmaster.
We may summarize the important role that the headmaster plays in the words of Secondary Education Commission:
On him the proper working of the school ultimately depends. The reputation of the school and the position that it holds in the society depends in a large measure on the influence that he exercises over his colleagues, his pupils and the general public. Similarly the discipline of the school and its esprit de corps are the special responsibilities of the headmaster. He holds an important place in the life of the community, where he can exercise a very healthy influence. By this contact with the parents and the general public he can help to forge that link between the school and the large community which we have repeatedly stressed. He is also responsible for carrying the policies and programs of the Department of Education and he acts as a liaison between it and the managements of the general local community.
QUALITIES OF A HEADTEACHER
We have stated the important role that a headmaster or a principal plays in the administration of the school. But the next question arises: how is he to function so efficiently? What qualities of personality, what qualifications, what type of experience and what general traits will go for his efficient leadership?
1 Philosophy
A good headmaster or a principal has a sound philosophy of life and sound philosophy of education. As dedicated soul, devoted to his profession and service to the mankind, with ulterior motives and purposes of life, with altruistic designs and goals, he belongs to a higher order of human race. He may or may not have read Bhgavad Gita, but he must practically follow its philosophy of selfless action, seriousness of duty, balance of mind, humanitarianism and spiritualism. His goal is to be Karmayogi and a person of steadfast wisdom. It is his inner spiritual wealth that will radiate and enlighten the whole school atmosphere. As a guru of the gurus (teacher of teachers), leader of leaders, wiser against the wise scholar of higher rank amongst the scholars, he is to be a saint, amongst the saints. All the policies, methods and techniques that he follows in the school must get direction from his deep and sound philosophy.
As for his philosophy of education, he must have made a deep analysis of the various objectives of education. He must conform his educational policies in accordance with the educational goals about which he must have a clear-cut idea. He must again not be rigid in formulating the objectives, but must have an open mind to revise and re-examine the same.
We may sum up here in words of an educationist:
… a school headmaster needs to have a sound philosophy of education based on careful study of latest thoughts and research. This philosophy must be constantly examined and reviewed, for ‘any sensible philosophy must be constantly open to scrutiny, re-examination and revision as new problems arise and new insights are gained’. This philosophy must not be opposed to the moors of the community, though it should not be subservient to it. It must be told to the community through a well-organized program of public relations. All school plans, policies and methods must evolve from this philosophy, and the achievement of the school must be measured and evaluated in terms of the objectives derived from this philosophy; without this, the curricula and techniques will lack right direction, and therefore fail to assure the goals of education”.
2 Physical and mental Health
Lock’s remarks are eternal: Mens Sana in Corpore Sano, i.e. a sound mind in a sound body. Locke’s remarks: “a sound mind in a sound body”. Sound body is the basic requisite for strenuous tasks like that of a headmaster. “The job of the Headmaster is fairly arduous and taxing. A person with indifferent health and poor stamina will not be able to hold his own or successfully discharge the multifarious and heavy responsibilities of this office. He must, therefore, take immediate steps to make up the deficiency in his health and evolve a daily routine which would ensure required physical efficiency”. Dr. Jaswant Singh suggests to take care of the following in this respect: a balanced diet, supply of vitamins, adequate intake of water, eliminations of waste products, exercise and healthy living.
Freedom form worries and anxieties is an important pre-condition of health and physical efficiency as freedom from bodily disease. In order to build up sound mental health, Dr. Jaswant Singh suggests the following:
The Headmaster should have sound attitude towards life. He must take to optimism to the extent of seeing something good in an event of misfortune. He must approach everything with the confident air of success. Financial worries must not trouble him. He must guard himself against any frustration. Intelligent planning and budgeting will relieve him of financial worries. On the whole he must have unlimited faith in himself and his Creator.
3. Superior Mental Ability
A headmaster must have superior mental ability characterized by sound judgment, deep intuition, logical reasoning and organizing ability. All the teachers must look to him for guidance, counsel and inspiration.
4. General Scholarship
To be able to understand and handle human situation, to inspire the staff with words to wisdom, to enjoy high esteem and reputations to be in a position to make valuable suggestions on all matters of life and maintain interest and leadership in academic sphere, the headmaster must possess general scholarship. “Knowledge of psychology, ethics, philosophy, sociology, economics will stand him in good stead. He must have broad-based training in a wide-field of education, and no matter if he is Jack of all trades”.
5. Professional training
Professional training is as important for head-ship as for another technical vocation. A year’s training in a training college is insufficient for this purpose. The head is expected to set example of effective teaching technique. Hence he must have fairly long experience of teaching as a teacher so that he is conversant with all the problems of teachers regarding class-room teaching, activities, discipline and pupil-teacher relationship. At time, he must be able to deliver exemplary lessons, so that he gives the impression to the teachers that he knows the job, and actually guides them in the practical task of teaching. To be a good headmaster, he must be a good teacher.
Teaching experience of good number of years in a school, experience gained through reading educational literature, experience of writing on professional topics, experience of attending seminars, conferences and workshops and such experience obtained in a continued manner, pays high dividends during headship and contributes high for professional maturity. Ryburn elucidates this point still further:
As leader of the cooperative group, it is the headmaster’s duty to keep himself up to the mark. If he is not to be a blind leader of the blind, he should keep himself in touch with modern movements in education, with experiments being carried out in deferent parts in India and in other countries with new ideas in pure Psychology and in Educational Psychology, organizations such as New Educational Fellowship, which aim at keeping their members and the teaching profession abreast of modern thought and practice in education.
The headmaster must visit experimental school, note down new ideas and practice, invite educationists to speak on educational topics and keep on gaining through various sources. “In a word, he must be alive and on his toes, filled with enthusiasm for his work and his schools”. He must be progressive, as says Mohi-ud-din:
… it is reasonable to expect that a headmaster should be progressive in his outlook. This is not an encouragement to rashness but a headmaster must be bold enough to put into practice the ideas which, after mature consideration, he believes, will result in improving school life.
6. Qualities of Personality
It is only with a strong personality; with a number of extraordinary traits that headmaster can justify his position as the head by leadership as opposed to head by appointment. R. A. Lamb remarks: “To make the perfect head of the school, there is needed, in addition to all these (extraordinary traits), a quality which is indefinable – and which resides in the personality of the individual. It is not possible to analyze this quality any more than it is possible by dissecting a man’s brain to find wherein resides the soul or the spirit of life. But that it exists, is beyond question”.
Personality cannot be dissected; nevertheless, certain aspects of personality can be discussed.
Emphasis is also lid on integrity, sense of humor, scientific attitude, and sense of vocation. In order to enjoy genuine respect from others, a headmaster must possess integrity of character. He must possess business integrity, and reject all pecuniary temptations, which stand in the faithful and honest discharge of his duties. He must keep his word and show strength of character. He must have intellectual integrity so as to admit his mistake. It pays to have a good sense of humor. “It will enable him to get over an impasse with the help of a smile, a light-hearted chuckle, or a jocular remark, which will ease the tense atmosphere” (Dr. Jaswant Singh). He must have a scientific attitude so that he observes all the matters carefully, records facts accurately, draws conclusions sagaciously and implements his generalizations. He must bear sceptic attitude towards life and all educational matters, ever ready to challenge the existing pattern and to accept new ideas. Conservation or rigidity obstructs constructive thinking and circumscribes one’s vision. Hence rejecting any monopoly of truth, he must try new experiments with a scientific attitude. Again, he must have a sense of vocation and must love his job well, ready to sacrifice minor conveniences and to make the best profession he is in. “He should derive the same satisfaction from working for the institution as the artist or the sculptor derives when working late hours over his handwork, fully attentive to the smallest detail, never tiring” (Dr. Jaswant Singh).