BEING PRINCIPAL OF MY DREAM SCHOOL.
The first and the foremost think I’ll keep in mind will be the fact that the school would be working in an Autonomous fashion. I won’t like to bend down my ideas for the modifications and formulations that a government Thinks-WillBeCorrect-For-The-Students. Governments will change. Their policies will change. Their policies might be good for some state under some circumstances, but when it comes to my school, I’ll love to have my own guidelines and be an independent entity, and yes, have an Autonomous path to follow. We would evolve and keep enhancing, but at our own pace and at our own choice. I’ll be the one to be in-charge of all the problems my staff and my students face under me. Ill like to have the things running under my control and the idea of waiting for a third party’s approval who won’t understand the ground level issues, doesn’t sound convincing for me. How irresponsible it sounds if you are the head of a concerned department, you can’t change and make it comfortable for your own tribe.
There are many aspects I would love to focus upon.
I’ll never want my students and the working staff to feel as a failure just on the fact, that whether or not they were able to complete the assigned task to them. Its okay to fail, yet not okay to shut down their brains and perform tasks as instructed. They would be given support enough to get through the task but never to the extent that paralyses the brain-thinking process and hinders their self-growth and learning process. Their minds would be encouraged to open up and think of something they have never thought or experienced before.
Everyday at work, every task will seem interesting, challenging and satisfying.
Here I would like to Quote George S. Patton
“Don’t tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.”
Yes, the kids and the staff members would not just be instructed to do the basic requirement that the school demands. Rather, they would be encouraged to try out different and creative and interesting ways to execute the required. Ill want to make sure they we don’t fall into the trap of monotonous lifestyle with no scope of growth.
I believe that if you want to survive in today’s world, you cannot convince the people by simply denying something they want. You just can’t do that. With so many ways to get individuality today, you just can’t convince people to do what you want them to do. I’ll simply love to accept people/ teachers and students with their authentic ideas and plans, give my inputs on how we could better or different we could make that and try my best to be accepted as well. I’ll want them to know that we are a team and not just a crowd guided by Hitler. I want them to know that their ideas are heard and the final decision will be for the betterment of the whole kingdom, and not just for the King/ Queen.
The kids will have freedom as much as they need to satiate their quest of curiosity. They will never be shunned down for failing, never be looked down upon if their plan just didn’t work. I read it somewhere that there was the reason to having decreased creative ideas as a person advance in his/her age. Guess what the result turned out to be? As the person gets older, they get inclined towards the idea of settlement and it’s very easy for them to get uncomfortable with failures and they have a hard time accepting that they aren’t as perfect as they thought they would be. Hence, they stop trying and boom! All the potential ideas that could have been workout upon, are not even glanced, even at once. The same research activity when done on fifth graders, didn’t not make them lose their hearts. No matter once in a while their ideas would fail and there would be a silly giggle in the atmosphere and the kids were back to a new idea. That’s what happens when you are not taught to be afraid or settle in. As a principal, this attitude of working would be cultured.
Another important aspect of my school will be No-Comparison and no competition. How can we compare the twining stars in the dark sky or the blossoming flowers in the field? Would things be challenging enough if every star is at its brightest intensity all the time? Every child is unique. Yes, they are masses of possibilities and it is the duty of the school and the teachers to be the gold-diggers and turn the child into a gem of wonders. It would be our duty to mould the kid in its best form but we won’t opt for pressurizing the kid which could kill its interest and talent and the Willingness to learn. We could just guid them. Yet, the path will be travelled by them, based on the drive the willingness and enthusiasm they have.
With so much freedom given at hand, I don’t want my kids and the staff to become directionless. Some topics and subjects would be compulsory. There would be the things the kids should know for their basic human survival. Unlike the institutions that prepares the kid for highest success ever achieved (hence setting the maximum what a child could achieve), I want to set the minimum required qualification and if the kids are interested in the task, they them carve their own path, become strong by the struggles they face themselves, make them push the limits themselves and Be Proud Of Their Efforts. It will be their decision what is maximum limits they would achieve, not mine.
The compulsory subjects would be Finance management, to make them survive even if they earn not too much. Remember, once a great man said, “Having enough money won’t solve the problem.” Other compulsory subjects would be Cooking, so that the are capable of this art that won’t let them starve. Fitness and physical education won’t be left out too. These subjects are the most practical teachings that would be staying with the kids thorough out their lives, unlike physics, business or history. Communication skills and team coordination matters in daily life. Also, a kid would have to be engaged in at least 1 creative field, be it dance, drama, music, arts, creative writing or anything they feel creative at.
Critical thinking would be encouraged and kids would be raised as a citizen who are themselves responsible for their words and actions. They shouldn’t shy out in voicing their opinions nor they would be weak to accept the consequence of their deeds.
The school curriculum would not be designed in a way that would be presented as a red-carpet pathway for the students to follow blindly. I want the kids to know how to think and find a way out of the solution instead of being spoon fed and no work for the mind. Sometimes I feel the Already-laidout-pathway is one of the biggest reasons we become lazy at making our brain work. Why shall I think when I can just work blindly? It gives us a false feeling of wellness and a least-surviving conditions when our real potential says we could have done way better than our current situation. The institutes now a days doesn’t work to push the people who actually needs a push but rather, we focus on people who are already at the top and doesn’t really need our effort on them.
I’ll be responsible for what my students make of their future. I want them to enjoy the essence of the work they do, without having to think of the pressure of performance. Let’s teach them to be happy now and they’ll learn to carve their way. They don’t need the pressure that we exert on them. Excess pressure serves as more negative role than the positive.
As a principle, I will keep the course relevant to the current day scenario. Things that actually make sense and impact to the real would be kept in consideration. There is no point in making them mug up the dates in history or the chemistry’s formulae if they can take up the teachings from the historic events or apply the chemical properties in any way. With the theoretical texts, their practical applications and purpose would be taught.
Just as the hype for online education is rising, aiming at increasing comfort while studying and acclaiming excellence, the idea doesn’t sound convincing as such to me. I don’t want the little ones either to screw their eyesight or lose their focusing power. Neither I want the kids to get a tutor to make them KNOWLEDGEABLE. I want the kids to enjoy what they are doing and take it on their own shoulders, with out feeling it as a burden. The curriculum for a kid would be according to his/her individual pace and not as fast as the bullet train runs!
In my school, I want the teachers to find the field the student is talented and would be helped in any way to work upon the will. The teachers won’t be forcing their bookish knowledge for the kids to accept and pour out on the exam papers.
It’s a school, a place where there are kids with bustling energy and variety of opinions. There is a big chance of conflicts, isn’t it? With different opinions and everyone focused to prove themselves worthy, difference in acceptance is bound to happen. Under such circumstances, we will make sure that we don’t claim someone right or wrong based on their status, irrespective of the fact whether the conflict has arisen between a teacher and a student, or any one at higher authority with the staff, of among students themselves. We will be needing to understand and judge the issue and not the people involved, as it happens in the current institutions.
Also, I’ll love to focus not just the professional aspect of the students and the staff. Ill want to have a healthy working and learning environment. I would love to have a place where the personal aspects of the people would be considered. Since everyone is sacrifice a bigger chunk of their life to the school, away from the caring and soothing family life, they would be a family at the working place too.
Getting a bit about the task force involved in the whole mission, I will make our school the best example of team spirt. Teachers, authorities, Administration and management, all will be working as a team to make my dream school possible.
I think about timings of my school. Will it be full-day, like hostels, like Hogwarts? I feel that the kids would be missing out the sense of having a family as a responsibility and a happiness factor in their lives. I don’t prefer the idea of solely having Career and earning as a measure of happiness. Having enough of family time and gradually being capable of helping their family with their inputs would raise them as a member the future family can count upon.
The best way to enslave someone is to leave them ignorant and use them for your own good. This is the main reason I am repeating the importance of having knowledge and ways to apply it for making a great survival. Even when a leopard is kept away from it’s need of hunting and is being continuously spoon-fed, will it never be able to become the beast it was born to be. That’s why we need compelling situations to challenge and test ourselves and unleash the hidden beast’s potential inside us.
It wont just be a school, it would be a Mini-world, with all the real-life experiences and challenges to prepare the little ones to thrive and live a fun and adventurous life. Challenges in life cannot be avoided, hence our mission would be to prepare a kid strong enough to fight against all the odds in other to live the kind of life they want to live for themselves. There would be times when the wind directions opposite to their sail, but why to be afraid from the wind? Why not prepare ourselves to navigate and be against the wind and fulfil our journey with satisfaction.
Thank you.
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