Conventional v. Contemporary School Management

 Learning Forward Saturday

To introduce the Staff Leadership Development Program and its core philosophy. Reading from the book Wanted Back-Bencher & Last-Ranker Teacher by Kavita Ghosh

Key Takeaways

• Program Core: The Staff Leadership Development Program (SLDP) uses the book Wanted Back Bencher, Last Ranker Teacher to shift the teacher paradigm from “perfect” to “relatable.”
• Monthly Cycle: Each month, teachers read a chapter, discuss its themes, and write a blog post for happyteacher.in applying the concepts to their own classroom experiences.
• Chapter 1 Theme: The first chapter, “Conventional v. Contemporary School Management,” argues that teachers with personal experience of struggle are better equipped to connect with and counsel students.
• Key Insight: Every teacher must act as an “ed counsellor”—providing immediate “first aid” for behavioural issues—because school counsellors are too few to handle the volume of daily incidents (e.g., 155/day in the book’s example).

Topics

Staff Leadership Development Program (SLDP)

• Goal: Shift the teacher paradigm from “perfect” to “relatable” to better connect with students.
• Recognition: The program is recognised by the World Bank Education Group as a global innovation in professional learning.
• Structure: A monthly cycle centred on the book Wanted Back Bencher, Last Ranker Teacher.
  • Read: One chapter per month.
  • Discuss: Apply chapter themes to real classroom scenarios.
  • Write: Create a blog post  happyteacher.in on a related personal experience.
• WhatsApp Group: A dedicated group will share links and updates.
  • Rule: No “good morning” messages or forwards; the group is for learning-focused content only.

Chapter 1: Conventional v. Contemporary School Management

• Premise: The chapter argues for a new teacher profile—one with personal experience of struggle—to effectively handle student behaviour.
• Story: A school CEO (Jacob) hires an unconventional teacher (Roma) to address a severe student discipline crisis.
  • Problem: A specific class is unmanageable; previous teachers quit after minutes.
  • Solution: Hire Roma, a “paragon of imperfection” (a former “back bencher” and “silent mischief maker”) who understands student struggles.
• Rationale: Teachers who have experienced failure or broken rules themselves can better understand and counsel students facing similar challenges.
• Outcome: The board approves the hire for a 6-month trial, with Uncle Patrick’s support.

Next Steps

• All Teachers:
  • Order a copy of Wanted Back Bencher, Last Ranker Teacher.
  • Join the Learning Forward Saturday WhatsApp group.
  • Review the program introduction video (link in WhatsApp).
  • Research “Scarlett O’Hara” and share findings in the group.
  • Observe student behaviour this week to identify underlying reasons.
• Learning Forward:
  • Share the “Happy Teachers” presentation in the WhatsApp group.

RESPONSIBILITY and COOPERATION - Triumph DGS

Values are the virtues that we learn and gather from our Parents, family, friends, colleagues, the books we read and the INFLUENCES in our life. They are the foundation for any viable life in society, the vehicles which propel the journey of life in a civilized manner. As we grow older, we learn new values day by day. Values are the basic structure of every living being. They actually denote a good life and are the beliefs that one holds, and are important in our life.

                                                 People will get to know YOU by your values!! 

And here, we talk about the TWO VALUES that complement each other so well that a single value is

incomplete without the other. If one is to MINDFULNESS than the other is the only way to GROW. They make PERFECT pair because to execute any kind of ..........whether it is at home or school or in social platform, it is not possible without seeking the ..........of people around. 

                                        RESPONSIBILITY & COOPERATION fills in these blanks.

When I say, "I am responsible”, This "I" is always in need of support from him, her, them and finally you."I" cannot do anything alone and the combination of all the other pronouns help "I" achieve what one desires.

Cooperation (Literal meaning- Support) and Responsibility walks side by side. These two values are like the wheels of a bicycle. If we are cooperative, then responsibility comes automatically. If we are simple, have the courage to accept the right and wrong, have patience and have the ability to tolerate the flaws, then be sure we will be cooperative and hence will be responsible. Cooperation is the MOTHER of all the other values. Without cooperation, we cannot bring other values together.

Respecting other’s feeling is a RESPONSIBILITY as well as COOPERATION towards others. So we can say that these values are like MIRROR REFLECTION.

We must be aware that we all depend on each other in any way, and nothing can be done single-handed in the world. So, we should make our maximum effort for the team. We should cooperate and pool our efforts to achieve the proposed goal. Responsibility and Cooperation can make us choose between success and failure.

Let’s hear some real-life incidents, depicting the importance of responsibility and cooperation (shared by our team members)

1)      Every year our school conducts a Science Exhibition. In the year 2019, being the head of the department, it was my responsibility to organize it. The cooperation, support and assistance that I received from the entire faculty, including the helping staff, was remarkable. This real-life example made me realize the importance of these two values. Responsibility and Cooperation, the two important pillars of teamwork. So they are essential.

 

2)     Our school is a preparatory school where children mainly prepare themselves for India's top schools. I realised the importance of these two values - when I was allowed to take entrance classes for such children and prepare for the same during this period of the pandemic through online classes. It was challenging to teach the subject and the values when they were not present in the school, but the cooperation I received from my co-teachers, my students, and my daughter really worked. Today, when I met those children after the exam, I realized the importance of these two values with their smiling faces.

3)      मेरा एक बहुत ही होनहार शिष्य है जिसका नाम 'सृजन'(काल्पनिक नाम) है। सृजन आवासीय विद्यालय में पढ़ने वाला एक प्रतिभावान छात्र है। सच में अपने नाम की तरह ही अनमोल और पवित्र बालक। जितना पढ़ने लिखने में होशियार, उतना ही खेल-कूद और विद्यालय के अन्य कार्यक्रमों में भी बढ़-चढ़ कर भाग लेने वाला। सृजन की दसवीं कक्षा की परीक्षाएँ चल रही हैं और उधर बिहार में उसके पिता 'बोन कैंसर' नाम की जानलेवा बीमारी से लड़ रहे है। पर नियति के आगे सब नतमस्तक हैं। पिता की हालत अचानक इतनी बिगड़ जाती है कि वो बेटा जिससे हम सभी को पूरी आशा थी कि बोर्ड की परीक्षाओं में १००% का परिणाम दिखा कर एक अलग ही कीर्तिमान स्थापित करेगा,वह अपनी आखिरी परीक्षा नहीं दे पाया और अचानक ही उसे पिता के पास जाना पड़ा।बीमार पिता की देखभाल में पूरे घर के सपने मिट्टी में मिल गए। उनके इलाज में इतना धन खर्च हुआ कि अब उस परिवार को अपने सपने पूरे करने तो दूर बल्कि जीवन यापन के बारे में सोच कर भी रूह कांपने लगी थी।

आज वह बच्चा एक coaching institute चला रहा है,जहाँ वह केवल उन्हीं बच्चो को पढ़ाता है जो उसी की तरह किसी मजबूरी का या कहें कि ज़िम्मेदारियों का शिकार होकर पढ़ नहीं पाए और उन जरूरतमंद बच्चों को वह मुफ्त में शिक्षा प्रदान करता है।

पर एक प्रश्न जिसने मुझे तोड़ दिया, वो यह था कि हम हर समय, हर जगह और हर हालात में ऐसा कह सकते हैं कि हमेशा हर कार्य के लिये अपना सहयोग देना और हमेशा अपनी जिम्मेदारियाँ निभाना क्या मनुष्य का नैतिक कर्तव्य है? क्या जो सब हुआ वो सही हुआ?

श्री कृष्ण ने गीता का उपदेश देते हुए कहा था कि कर्म किए जा और फल की चिंता न कर | सृजन ने जो कर्म और धर्म निभाया, उससे उसे मानसिक संतुष्टि मिली जो कि शायद तब न मिलती अगर वह उस समय सिर्फ अपने बारे में सोचता और आज एक सफल आई. ए. एस. ऑफिसर भी होता | उसने उस समय भी परिवार के प्रति कर्तव्यों का निर्वाह किया और आज भी समाज और देश के प्रति कर्तव्यों का निर्वाह कर रहा है |      

 डाल हाथ में हाथ चलें,हम हर मुश्किल आसान करें।

 है अपनी जिम्मेवारी,हो नर या हो नारी,

 जब भी ज़रूरत आन पड़े,जब भी खतरे में आन पड़े,

मिल कर सहकार करेंगे हम।हर चुनौती स्वीकार करेंगे हम।

Proudly created by the inspiring team of Triumph DGS @ The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun - Prachi Jain, Mansi Sondhi Arora, Ritika Chandani, Shalu Rawat, Mohini Bohra Chauhan and Prachi Parashar

Sympathy: Urmila Rathore

Sympathy literally means a feeling of compassion towards someone or understanding their

problems. In everyday life, we see how many unintentional events happen that shock us from inside. We see in children, their helpful nature towards each other. During lunch in school, they share their tiffin-boxes with other students who couldn’t bring one. They talk of their routine, share each other's emotions; ask of the problems they face and so on.

Similarly, they also share their pen, book, pencil, etc. with each other. I have seen many times in school that some children feed half of their food to dogs and when asked why they do this, they reply, “Who else will feed them then?”

In them, you have to teach moral values to be sympathetic to the trees, such as watering them, not breaking the flower leaves, etc. A school harbours children of vivid natures, some of them good in studies, some in collaborative activities. At the same time, they have to learn and need to be taught not to ridicule someone's weakness. Students need to be explained that their little joke can hurt someone deeply, so they have to learn to understand the situation of others, to experience their pain.

In the present day, COVID19 pandemic has explained to humanity that we can share one's suffering only with the help of others. Doctors, nurses, police, etc. are busy serving patients day and night without worrying about themselves and their families. On the other hand, governments and donors are providing basic needs to the daily labourers, migrant labourers and the poor; this is a perfect example of sympathy.

We should know the problems of others and understand their pain and help. Nature also helps every living animal to fulfil its needs. Therefore, we should not harm and keep every person, creature, trees and plants happy.

Urmila Rathore

The Fabindia School

Who is your ideal teacher?

Someone who taught well; cleared all your doubts and answered every question no matter how foolish or irrelevant that question was?  You liked those teachers even though they were strict disciplinarians and sticklers about submitting assignments on time. Why?  Because they explained everything extremely well?

Or was that teacher your favourite one who often came late to class; was frequently absent and gave plenty of free time?

Personally, my favourite teachers were the ones who were approachable and friendly; teachers who were patient and always wore that cheerful look of tolerance. Moreover, I was always in awe of well-groomed teachers – Oh yes, I noticed how well they draped the sari, and how perfectly those pleats were pinned in place; the colour of the lipstick, size of the heels and how perfectly she wore her eyeliner; those eyes that twinkled often, either in amusement or mischief. I followed every word she spoke, the way she pronounced the words and also how often she smiled at me.

So, we can see that everybody has that favourite teacher in school life for some reason or the other. I know someone who liked a particular teacher because she often asked him to stand outside the class where he had plenty of fun with friends.

So let’s find out what makes a teacher the favourite one with students?

But before that, we need to know that there might be favourite teachers, but there is no perfect teacher.

Why so?

That is because the day a teacher claims to be perfect; she will stop growing completely. She will assume that she is so perfect that she does not have to strive towards improvement and betterment. Just the way students are always learning, teachers are also consistently learning and growing.

A teacher plays an important role in the educational system because h/she inspires learners to be cultured, knowledgeable, independent and world worthy.  A teacher thrusts them forward in such a manner that students can function without the teacher; they can make wise decisions; they can distinguish right from wrong, and they have the courage to do new things and pursue their passions relentlessly.

And for that teachers have to be role models and consistently endeavour to imbue in themselves virtues that will help them in fulfilling these goals in a place we call - ‘the classroom’.

To be an ideal teacher, he/she must have a great sense of humour. This means that a teacher should be willing to look at the positive side of everything that happens in a classroom without losing temper. She should also have the courage to laugh at herself if she makes a mistake while teaching instead of getting embarrassed or angry.

Teachers who wish to be one of the best must have good knowledge about the subject they are teaching. They should consider themselves to be diligent scholars and not accomplished educators who have learnt it all – who know it all. Teachers should always be eager to read more and upgrade themselves to fit in today’s academic world that is consistently and irrevocably changing and modifying. She should learn different ways in which her subject can be taught so that learners look forward to learning with enthusiasm.

An ideal teacher should always be flexible. If learners are not in a mood to study that day , which happens occasionally, h/she should not be rigid in attitude to somehow start that lesson and also complete it,  indifferent to the fact whether students are paying attention to it or not. It is always a better part of wisdom to first find out the reason for that lethargy and disinterest,  discuss it and then get back to teaching after bringing back that ‘affable mood’ in class.

Popular teachers are good communicators. They are clear in thoughts about what is expected of the students in their class. They are diligent and hard-working.  And this is conveyed through their work in a very positive manner. Students also respond in an affirmative manner when teachers are able to communicate to the learners, objective and goals that have to be met in that subject.

An ideal teacher is always positive, inside and outside the classroom. This positive attitude can be seen and felt by everyone around them. Such teachers inspire positivity in others also. They convey to others through their work and appearance that nothing is impossible and where there is a will, there is always a way. They never look down at failed attempts, but rather lend a hand to others to stand up after falling.

Teachers who wish to be role models in the lives of their students are always seen smiling. Students consider such teachers to be open and approachable. This trait is often noticed when teachers share with learners how they felt in a particular situation and how it was dealt by them. This attitude opens vistas of communication between teachers and learners because students can connect with teachers emotionally. And right emotions help students to be better learners.

An ideal teacher who is willing to grow and learn makes consistent effort to make the topic h/she is teaching extremely interactive. This is done by relating theory to practice. When a teacher introduces activity based learning in the class, it takes away fear and antagonism if the topic or concept is difficult. It also makes room for fun and interest if the topic is uninteresting.

And last but not the least; ideal teachers are always pleasantly dressed. Such teachers take good care of personal hygiene and are always well groomed. They wear the kind of clothes that is acceptable in the school where they are teaching.  Having the right body language is equally important along with right grooming because it speaks a lot about the personality and intention of teachers. The body language of a teacher should not be offensive or aggressive that can put students off learning.

About the author

Kavita Bhupta Ghosh

Faculty (Teacher and German Pasch Project Coordinator)

Delhi Pubic School Bangalore South

And author of ‘Wanted Back-bencher and Last-ranker Teacher’

http://www.amazon.in/dp/B017DEHE2W