MY SCHOOL by Dr .Nilesh Gopal das Joshi (beginner reading books for adults .txt) 📕

or harassed.  If necessary remarks should be written or recorded in a very positive language. The headmaster can also go through the various homework notebooks of students sometimes and also answer books of students in various examinations. Supervision of practicals

The headmaster may take a round when the students are engaged in science practicals in the laboratories or in craft work in the workshops or in survey-work in the neighborhood. He/she can be of help in these activities only if he/she gets touch with these situations.

Supervision of co-curricular activities

The headmaster should drop in sometimes when the games are being played in the playground, when rehearsals are going on for a play or when the student committee hold meetings to organize a trip. By presiding over the various functions in the school, he will be in a position to improve the standard of co-curricular activities.

Supervision for discipline

It is a part of the supervisory duty to watch the behavior of the students, their regularity, punctuality and sense of self-discipline.

Supervision for welfare of the pupils

The headmaster has to ensure the welfare of the pupils both inside and outside the school. There should be all types of provisions to make the students’ stay in the school fully rewarding, pleasant and convenient. The campus should carry a neat, clean and attractive look. Constant improvement in provisions and facilities should be taken care of.

Supervision of office

He/she should ensure high efficiency in the office through close and intensive supervision. The office has to look after admissions, classification of students, notification of time table and other activities, arrangement of supplies, maintenance of accounts, progress reports of students, routine correspondence etc.

The second duty of the headmaster is:

Teaching

The headmaster is the educational leader. He/she is essentially a teacher. So he/she must never get out of touch with day-to-day classroom situations. They will not be in a position to provide educational leadership if they stop teaching and gets out of touch with their specialized subject and the techniques of teaching. Their function is to guide education and educators in new methods, new techniques of education, new approaches, new outlooks and new ways of doing the old job. From them flows a continuous stream of new ideas to deal with rapidly changing educational scene. They should resolve to do old things in a new way and deliver them to his/her students in classrooms.

Headmaster of a school is a teacher first. Teaching is their fundamental duty. Headmasters remain so much absorbed in other duties that they never enter classes. But they should engage at least two periods a day on specialized classes.

Despite some frustration of administration and demands on their time, instruction is one of the most important responsibilities and duties of a headmaster. He/she is the key person charged with responsibilities of improving instruction.

By actually teaching, the headmaster comes to know the standards of students in different classes and standard of teaching in school. They also understand difficulties of students and teachers. A headmaster cannot be an expert in all instructional areas. In spite of the fact that headmasters are over-burdened with a number of other duties, they should be good teachers conversant with content and the latest methods of teaching. It will be appropriate with their position and prestige if they teach one of the most important subjects of the syllabus.

The third main duty is:

Planning

Unless the headmaster plans for the school, there will be confusion all round. For making proper planning, help of pupils, teachers and parents should be taken. Most of the planning will take place in the course of discussion of school problems in the staff meetings and student councils.

In some schools, certain situations arise like teachers without students, classes without teachers, class-sections with enrolment twice the capacity of the room, where teachers are handicapped because of shortage of suppliers, lack of books and equipments etc. This state of affairs is due to inadequate planning in schools.

The plans have to be drawn collectively by the headmaster, members of the staff, student’s council and parent-teacher association.

Planning before the start of the new session

Every detail of the work should be drawn up. As soon as the school reopens, everything should be ready and organized. The planning of work should be done before-hand to give a good start. In order to avoid a delayed and non-serious start, the headmaster should convene meetings of the staff well before the opening day to discuss and finalise the timetable etc. The admission and payment of fees should be date bound and this should not be unduly prolonged. Everything should be done in a time-bound and date-bound manner.

On the opening day and during the first week

Regular work according to a timetable should start on the very first day.The students may be acquainted with their syllabi and other activities. The prescribed textbooks may be announced and it should be ensured that the students procure them at the earliest. The instructions to the students should be given in a comprehensive and clear-cut manner through the prospectus or first day talk in the morning assembly.

During the course of the year

The headmaster has to ensure implementation of the timetable and calendar of activities. The instructional work should be continued with zest and zeal. Side by side, the co-curricular activities should also be carried out according to schedule. He/she has to maintain the supply line also in respect of equipments, chemicals, aids and other articles.

Evaluation programme in the form of class tests has to be organized from time to time. Guidance has to be provided by the needy students and teachers. Regular supervision of teacher’s work should also go on. Consistent efforts should be made for the procurement of grants and their utilization made according to well-prepared plans.

At the end of the year

It is the time for stock taking and evaluation. The annual report should be prepared to have an overall view of successes and failures. This report becomes the stepping stone for planning the next session. The annual statements in respect of attendance, enrolment, income, expenditure, results etc. have to be prepared.

The fourth duty of the HM is:

Organization and Administration

The administrative functions of the headmaster can be external and internal. The external function connects the headmaster with government, the state department of education, the high school education board and the governing body. The internal function connects with the internal functions of the school office and administering the school budget and the school plant.

The organization and administration areas can be further subdivided into various duty areas.

School Plant

 In the organization of the school, the headmaster should procure adequate furniture and equipment for the school. He/she should make petty repairs, distribute the furniture, look into the buildings, organize laboratories, the workshop and the library and take care of the sanitation and entire material aspect of school plant. He/she has to keep sanitation and water supply in good condition, and has to procure for the school all types of latest amenities. He/she will also see to it that the library is well equipped with latest literature.

Instructional work

The headmaster also looks into the instructional work of the school including construction of curriculum, preparation and distribution of syllabi, work distribution among the staff, allotment of co-curricular duties, construction of the time schedule and the school calendar.

Co-curricular activities

It refers to the organization and administration of various activities during the session like experimental projects, sports, tournaments, debates, celebration of important days, inter-house competitions, alumni associations, parent-teacher associations and other activities. The headmaster has to ensure that these activities serve the desired educational purposes.

Office work

The headmaster has to see that the office plays its key role in the running of the school very effectively. He/she has to get various things done by the office, such as, official correspondence, registration, routine work, collection of fees, maintenance of accounts, preparation of the school budget and making purchases for the school.

Discipline

The headmaster should be a firm but considerate and strict disciplinarian. He/she should ensure that the academic climate of the school is not spoiled by frequent cases of indiscipline. He/she should also involve responsible teachers and leading students in the establishment of a healthy discipline in the institution.

The 5th duty being:

Maintenance of Relations

In respect of human relations in an institution, the headmaster again occupies a key position. His /her own success and the success of the school depends mostly on the relations that they cultivate and maintain with the staff, the students, their parents and the community at large.

Relations with the staff

The relations should be cordial, pleasant and affectionate. He/she must have humanitarian and sympathetic outlook. He/she should rule with love and kindness rather than with his position and authority. He/she should not suffer from an air of superiority, false pride and arrogance. He/she should keep staff in high spirits by encouraging and appreciating. Should also abstain from negative methods of maintaining discipline such as threats, punishments, fault-finding, surprise-checking and secret reporting.

He/she must not fail to recognize the individual differences in order to make judicious allotment of work and responsibilities to various teachers. He/she should ensure that undue tasks are not thrust on anybody. While taking major decisions, advice must be taken from teachers. Must be able to take teachers into confidence on all important matters. This will encourage a spirit of mutual co-operation and responsibility and will establish healthy relations based on mutual understanding.

Relations with students

Although from disciplinary point of view, the headmaster is required to maintain a distance with the students, this distance must be narrowed down to the limit of maintaining both intimacy and respect. His/her relations with the students must be based on understanding, good-will, progress and welfare for all.

The headmaster should develop these relations by taking interest in the students in respect of their progress in studies, their difficulties if any, their participation in activities, their problems in and outside the school, their health etc. He/she should be easily accessible to any student in need. It is the duty of the headmaster to mix freely with the students when they are on the playfield, out on a picnic, participating in activities etc.

It will be a great asset to know the names of as many students as possible and address them by their names. Should be affectionate, kind, intimate and sympathetic towards students. He/she should be looked upon by others as a sincere guide and reformer.

Relations with parents

The headmaster has to act as a liaison between the school and the society. He/she must avail of all the opportunities of direct and indirect contacts with the parents and other members of the community. It is very important to know the parents and other members of the community. They may be invited to the school functions and to the meetings of the parent-teacher associations.

When the parents are in a position to give some voluntary help to th e school, the headmaster should not miss the opportunity. He/she should rather create situations for their constant involvement in the activities of the school.

Relations with community

The headmaster should try to project his school as a centre of community life. With constant efforts he should bridge the gap between the school and the community. He/she should find out what the community expects from the school and try to satisfy the demands of the community through his able administration. He/she should be able to exploit the resources of the community for the benefit and welfare of the school.

He/she can introduce a number of activities in school which prove attractive for the community such as school v/s community competitions in games, use of school library by the desirous members of the community, arranging of exhibition, variety performances, documentary film shows, organizing social service programmes and inviting well known speakers to speak on topics of general interest.

The headmaster may himself become an active member of some of the social and cultural organizations of the community. He/she should also establish relationship with the District Public Relations Officer, the local press and other allied departments engaged in the welfare and upliftment of the community.

The 6th responsibility is:

Guidance

The headmaster is the chief guide for all the colleagues and students. Guidance can be