Confronting the Elephant in the Room
What is it that has been plaguing your institution? What is that persistent, debilitating issue or challenge that keeps raising its despicable head, affecting your school’s climate, students’ academic performance, the teaching and learning process or the staff morale?
Did you inherit this challenge when you assumed leadership? Or, over time, have you observed a troubling trend creeping into the fabric of your school? Perhaps this has simply become the status quo, a disturbing trend that disrupts growth. Whatever the cause, if this issue has been bothering you and you’ve found yourself wondering what to do, let’s start a meaningful conversation about it. Bring your ears closer, and let’s reason together.
Shift the Approach–Embrace the Role of Researcher
You may have already tried the typical strategies, those often used in schools encountering similar challenges, but still, the problem stares back at you, unchanged. You want a shift. You are hungry for transformation. Then it’s time to take on a new role: become a researcher. Yes, put on your researcher’s cap. Be the pilot of change.
Start by investigating the issue. What are the experts in education saying? How have they addressed similar challenges? Use your findings to design and implement a relevant intervention tailored to your school’s needs. Get various stakeholders involved, form a committed team. Throughout the process, document everything: collect data, record observations and evaluate evidence. Once the intervention concludes, sit with your team and reflect. What worked? What didn’t? Use this information to refine your approach and address the root cause of the problem more effectively.
Your research might even lead to a novel idea, an innovative solution that not only transforms your institution but could be replicated in other schools facing the same problem. You can be the pioneer of positive change.
How do I know this is possible? Let me tell you a story.
Personal Testimony- The CEET Journey
In 2019, I was tasked with identifying a problem and implementing an intervention to address the issue at the high school where I was employed. With the administration’s permission and support, I implemented a programme titled “Children Experiencing Everyday Transformation” (CEET).
This initiative targeted students frequently sent to the Vice Principal’s office for disciplinary reasons, as well as students who had the ability to perform well academically but were achieving below acceptable standards. I wrote a proposal outlining how I would execute the programme. This was my first time implementing something like this, but my experience as a teacher, along with research helped shape and guide this approach or intervention.
I didn’t want to continue the cycle of detention and suspension without any real transformation. I wanted the change to be evident in students’ behaviour and attitude, both at school and at home, with the goal of positively impacting their academic performance. So, I put in the work with the support of a dedicated group of colleagues. Yes, I had my classes, my subject responsibilities, and my role as a form teacher, but when you’re passionate about change, you make the time. It took commitment, dedication, consistency, and a heart for student success.
The results were undeniable. Parents, stakeholders, and teachers saw the difference. The change in the students was visible, tangible, and lasting. Testimonies poured in, not just from educators but from the parents themselves. While not a quick fix, the CEET programme catalysed meaningful and lasting changes in students’ academic performance, behaviour, attitude, mindset, and classroom involvement.
Lace Up and Begin
So I say to you: you can change the narrative. That long-standing problem, that issue haunting your institution, can shift. But you must decide: do you truly want change? If the answer is yes, then lace up your boots and begin the journey.