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Greetings from news.desk

This month marks the beginning of the school year in the country. Along with new students there are also new teachers who start teaching 'for real'.

I'm sure that most of such teachers are feeling a bit awkward. One of the hardest parts of entering the world of teaching is that there's no shallow end of the pool for Beginning Teachers to dip their toes into.

Yes, a typical start of the year situation rears its ugly head, idealist graduate meets the cold, hard reality of classroom teaching. So seeing as it is the start of the term, it's a good time to set some goals.

Relationship management: Teachers need to have great relationships with their students, but perhaps more importantly there needs to be an environment in the classroom where the students are able to learn from each other. There is also need to further develop relationships with the other teachers in the school asking for help, taking and adapting advice.

Language: There should be no negativity in the language used by the teacher in the class-room and about the class-room. Adjectives matter. Perhaps instead of "hard and difficult" one could say "how can I improve?" More importantly when reflecting on the classroom time one needs to start by looking at what has gone well instead of immediately zeroing in on areas for improvement.

Also one needs to have some effective systems and processes in place during class-room sessions. These aren't grand goals that are going to shake the world of education to its core but they are the next learning steps. So, the last goal is somewhat simplistic. If the students and the teacher can finish the term with a smile, wondering where the time went to, then that would be awesome. Hope you all have a happy teaching year.

In this edition we have

Our Guest editor, Wg Cdr I. A. Williams, Principal, St Paul's School, Palampur, H.P. writes 'Great Teacher'.
Our Business Editor, Mr. Melwin Braggs with his views on 'School Project Plan'.
I share my views on 'Safe and Sensitive schools'.
Web links on the happenings in the education industry.
You could know more about Develop Schools' services, the itinerary of our associates for you to benefit from during their visit to your locations.
Send us your articles. If your entry is selected we will cover your article in our forthcoming newsletters.

I now invite you to read on and send us your feedback / suggestions. After all we improve when you assist us.

Feel free to FORWARD this newsletter to your Trustees / Managing committees / References.

Sincerely,

Rita Wilson

Chief Editor

What makes a Teacher

Our Guest Editor - Wg Cdr I. A. Williams

Principal, St Paul's School, Palampur, H.P.

For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication.

The teacher is the person male or female who is engaged in the education and training of children, so that they can walk by grace in the way of salvation, grow like pearls of divine bounty and who will one day be the jewel in the crown of abiding glory.

Sir John Adams says, "Teacher is the maker of man". The great philosopher H.G. Wells has said, "The teacher is the real maker of history". According to Manu, also famous as Adipurush, "Teacher is the image of Brahma". In Hindu Mythology, teacher is regarded as Brahma, the creator, God Vishnu and Maheshwara. He is the entire universe.

The teacher is the yardstick that measures the achievements and aspirations of the nation. The worth and potential of a country can be evaluated in and through the work of teachers. In fact, "The people of a country are the enlarged replica of their teachers". They are the real nation builders.

The teacher is the pivot of any educational system. On him rests the failure or the success of the system. If the teachers are well educated, intellectually alive and if they take keen interest in their job, only then, is success ensured.

The teacher is a dynamic force of the school. A school without a teacher is like a body without the soul, a skeleton without flesh and blood, a shadow without substance. "There is no greater need for the cause of education today than the need for strong manly men and motherly women as teachers for the young." As social engineers, teachers can socialize and humanize the young by their humane qualities.

Some characteristics of great teachers:

Great teachers set high expectations for all students.
Great teachers have clear objectives.
Great teachers are prepared and organized.
Great teachers engage students and get them to look at issues in a variety of ways.
Great teachers are masters of their subject matter.
Great teachers communicate frequently with parents.
Great teachers are firm believers in "no child left behind" policy.

Teachers are the transmitters of morality. In order to do this, they must be restored to their traditional role as the builders of character and the custodians of culture.

School Project Plan

- Melwin Braggs, Business Editor

Opening a new school is one of the most involved, complicated and demanding challenges around.

My experience with opening multiple national and international schools in this country has been

interesting to say the least. Every project comes with immense opportunity but also carries inherent challenges. The danger is that it is easy to slip into the mindset that all one has to do is find a building, tart it up a bit and recruit a head and some teachers. The rest will follow. WRONG.

Opening a new school is really numerous different projects -requiring very different skills - all rolled into one:

o Design

o Planning

o Build/refurbish

o Legal

o Accounting and finance

o Recruitment

o and yes, Education

o Logistics

o Purchasing/sourcing

o Governance

o Community relations

o Marketing

o Information Technology

And so a school start up's focus should be to

1. Organise the project and your people into specialist teams

2. Get the right skills within your management body

3. When outsourcing, make sure you get people highly skilled in their field but also with the appropriate education experience.

4. Do not underestimate just how long it will take in absolute terms and the time the management group will have to dedicate to make it happen.

5. Do not underestimate how much money it will need to achieve real excellence.

6. Get external support & advice for the board of trustees/ governors - to be on your side and give you honest and best advice.

7. Appointing the Head is the most important decision you will make

8. Engage with the other schools in the area

9. Engage with the broader local community

10. Keep sight of your original ethos and objectives

At Develop Schools we would be glad to assist you on this project assuring you that we are well qualified to undertake projects of this nature. In fact you will find from our profile that we have done similar multiple assignments before.

Click to read Develop Schools team profile and Develop Schools services details

Hope the above assists you refine your thoughts and meet your requirement. Our suggestions on the steps ahead:
1. The strategic management team should meet up to understand each other and the project requirements better
2. Understand the land location / geography / competition
3. Define the kind of school / USP / product on offer we propose
4. Prepare a project report
5. Agree on deliverables / timelines / Roles & responsibilities
6. Move into the implementation of the project.

With clear direction, phased out expectation, experienced implementation it would be a planned approach but might still not be easy to Develop Schools.

Safe and sensitive schools

- Rita Wilson, Chief Editor

(Ex Chief Executive and Secretary, ICSE)

In the quest to 'complete syllabus' and 'achieve results', our schools do not provide enough opportunities for children to speak spontaneously and listen actively in the classroom.

Children therefore are unable to take turns to share ideas or to contribute effectively in group situations. I believe it is imperative for schools to focus on improving the quality of personal interactions taking place in schools.

The quality and language of personal interaction in Indian schools - teachers with students and students amongst themselves is often marked by harshness of tone, insensitivity towards others' feelings and a sense of inadequacy in expressing thoughts, ideas and feelings. Authoritarianism and judgement pervade majority of teacher- student interactions in schools across the country.

In our classrooms we are primarily concerned with teaching and completing syllabus, but many of our children are unable to speak spontaneously and/or listen; they are unable to take turns to share ideas or to contribute effectively in a group situation. All these are basic requirements for being well-adjusted future citizens of this world.

No concerted attempt has been made nationwide to actually improve the culture of interpersonal communication that takes place in our schools even though the NCERT's National Curricular Framework 2005 makes detailed references to a policy of inclusion, nurturing an enabling environment and good behaviour through a policy of participatory management. Schools, however, don't have a clear strategy to implement these ideas and place social and emotional well-being of our pupils at the heart of all school reforms.

There aren't many organisations in India who are concertedly working with teachers to help them focus on the social-emotional well-being of their students. The overall well-being and self-esteem of every teacher is as important as the skills and knowledge they are enabled with so that they can engage more effectively with their students.

Schools become enabling environments for all students by empowering educators to become energetic, effective and reflective. They say "the world becomes what we teach". Teachers can make schools more humane, equitable and ethical, one child at a time.