Why Private School Headmasters Are So Important


Privates school headmasters is very important. It is to improve their skill manager.

Back in the old days, headmasters and headmistresses could literally direct the course of a student's life. The most famous example is the legendary Endicott Peabody, who founded the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, in 1884 and remained its headmaster until 1940. Peabody served as the headmaster when Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the school, and FDR later said that Peabody had had the greatest influence on him of anyone, save his own mother and father. Peabody was an Episcopal priest who was a mentor and spiritual advisor to the boys he worked with (Groton was an all-boys' school at that time, though it is now co-ed). Truly great headmasters in the past were very important in shaping their students and even in directing their lives.

Today's headmasters and headmistresses must occupy a different role than their counterpart of years past. The career path of a headmaster or headmistress has changed dramatically. Headmasters used to be former teachers who became deans and then moved up the administrative ladder to lead their schools. They were usually talented academically and worked at the same school for some time. Today's headmasters have a more difficult job, as they must also steer their school through rocky financial times, often make their school more green or sustainable , raise money, and manage very different constituencies--including parents, students, teachers, and the board of trustees at whose discretion they serve. As a result, some headmasters are paid staggering sums-in fact, the compensation of headmasters and headmistresses has become the subject of many recent news articles because private school heads are paid so much more than their public school counterparts. While private school teachers generally earn on average less than equivalent public school teachers, private school heads make much more than public school principals. The national average of headmaster pay is about $200,000 per year, and many heads of top boarding schools and expensive day schools in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Boston make over $400,000 per year and enjoy free houses or apartments in pricy neighborhoods. The schools often pay the heads these vast sums so that the heads can be seen a in a comparable income bracket as the wealthy parents in the school, from whom the heads must raise money.

Given all of these expectations of a headmaster, how can he or she best perform her job? While the daily involvement of a headmaster like Endicott Peabody in his students' lives may be a thing of the past, as heads don't have as much time to minister to their students anymore, given their other responsibilities, here are some of the qualities of a truly great headmaster or headmistress:

The headmaster must be aware of the school culture and of its values and traditions; while a great head can decide to change this culture, he or she must be aware of the traditions to date.
The head must support great teachers and teaching and be able to retain good teachers and create and maintain a diverse faculty.
At the same time the head supports his or her teachers, the head must also appeal to the board of trustees, the parents, and the students. He or she must be a good listener who understands the concerns of various constituencies and knows how to balance them-which can at times be difficult. The headmaster must also set an example for his or her students by behaving ethically, responsibly, and compassionately.
The head must look forward to the future and steer the school into the years ahead by educating its students to be ethical and knowledgeable participants in the 21st century. To this end, the head must pursue opportunities for increasing diversity, embracing technology, and encouraging global awareness.

While it may be difficult for a headmaster to emulate Endicott Peabody or Albus Dumbledore of Harry Potter fame, a great headmaster conveys respect and caring for students, teachers, and parents, and he or she is committed to moving the school into the years ahead while maintaining the school's important and unifying traditions.(Taken from www.privateschool.about.com)





Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar