Prioritising at the beginning of the year
We’re pulled in so many different directions as the machine gets up and running again; teachers and induction, students and timetables, and of course how it all fits into the bigger picture, how the finances are going to add up, etc. There’s a lot going on.
So often we just don’t know until the last minute exactly which groups are going to open and how it fits in with our staffing needs.There’s often so much insecurity around for us and also often uncertainty for our admin and teaching teams too. At this point we need to prioritise.
What are your priorities? We can only deal with so much at any one time. For many of us at this point it’s all about teachers and students. Have you got enough teachers? Have you got enough hours for the teachers? And are those teachers ready to go? And then there’s the students, have you got enough? Is there room for more? Should you open this class even though there are really not enough students to justify it? These are such basic questions but perhaps the key ones that are with us now. We really just want to get the machine cranked up and get it all going.
What do teachers need?
At this point in the year teachers clarity and certainty and sometimes we can’t give them that but can give them what have, and we can be honest with them. What we all want is as gentle a start to the year as possible
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Timetabling enabling
If teachers’ timetables are ok, everything else tends to work out, but if teachers are unhappy with their timetables then things be get difficult very quickly. Timetables are hardly ever exactly what the teacher wanted and if we take time to explain them to say why we’ve made certain decisions and give them the opportunity (where possible) to make adjustments then we can smooth things over. Sometimes there are gaps in timetables and we can explain how we expect them to be filled; perhaps the group will start in October rather than in September. Work with teachers; take time to explain, give them some power through choices, and yes, cross our fingers a bit.
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Start with clarity - How do you “on-board” the team?
How do you start the year with the teachers? Do you have some kind of induction? How long is it? What are the aims? Are there some specific aims you want everyone to work on this year? Do teachers new to the school need more and can returning teachers help? Is there a team building or social dimension to the induction?
You might want to keep induction as short as possible. Sending a comprehensive Teachers’ Handbook before induction can set out exactly how things work and what you expect from the team. You can also send through timetables before induction and deal with any difficulties before you’re all together. You could have a quiz in teams highlighting certain things, you can workshop other key elements, you might want to try to keep admin to a minimum and set the stage for professional development through the year. And perhaps at the end of the induction you could treat the team to a drink or two at local bar, that’s always appreciated too.
Here are two articles from Edutopia all about strating the year well with your teaching team.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/onboarding-new-teachers/
https://www.edutopia.org/article/onboarding-new-teachers-4-strategies/
Edutopia (by the way, there's no sponsorship here, just loads of great content!) has a section dedicated to school leadership which is often relevant and always interesting, https://www.edutopia.org/topic/school-leadership It’s well worth checking out.
Without our teaching colleagues, we are nothing.
We need to help and support our teachers. We need to give them the structure and the freedom to work and to grow. We need to be servant leaders, working to help others thrive. If we can do that, we can all share in the rewards.
Read more here about servant leadership from the Harvard Business Review, it’s worth making this one of your limited free reads.
https://hbr.org/2023/07/how-to-be-a-purpose-driven-leader-without-burning-out
Because, of course, we need to look after ourselves too.
Good luck with the beginning of the academic year and wishing you all the best in your Managing ELT.
P.S. One great way to help your teaching team is to make sure they’re comfortable and confident going into their classes. If there’s anyone on your team who could do with a little help or a refresher on working with Younger Learners, there’s still (just about!) time to join our next Teaching Younger Learners course, for more info go to Teaching Young Learners or just apply now at or email us at training@activelanguage.net
And if you're based in Spain, the course can be 100% subsidised through FUNDAE.