From the Memory Box 

Issue No 32

Retirement! It means different things to different people. After a career in teaching which spanned more than five decades, it is now my turn to be confronted by my own retirement. Amongst the many thoughts that my retirement has visited upon me, they all have one of two things in common. Reminiscing and looking forward – strangely not dissimilar to how my mind worked pre-retirement! 

One of the questions I am regularly asked nowadays, relates to what I consider to be my proudest achievements over the course of my career. Highlights – there are many. Lowlights – a few. Insofar as noteworthy achievements are concerned, I defer to the advice of a dear friend and mentor – I’ll leave that for others to decide. 

A question coming a close second, centres on my future - what might my retirement look like? I’ve seen many colleagues go before me, and each treads a unique pathway. All have lessons from which we can learn, irrespective of our work or retirement situation. 

I love writing. It is a particular passion of mine, with the worldly wise and timeless witticisms of Oscar Wilde especially inspiring and dear to my heart. Many others have lent their wisdom to the writing of quotes to nurture hope as we pass through the stages of our life. One in particular resonated strongly with me with its focus on both hope and freedom – symbiotic as they are: 

“Retirement is like a good book; it’s your story to write.”

-Anon 

As I begin to write my own story, colleagues in schools everywhere grapple with the current realities of having their leadership scripts, in the eyes of some, at best, edited; at worst prescribed. First defining, and then coming to terms with the possibilities open to you as a school leader is itself a journey of great importance, after which the challenges in realising those possibilities can make or break a leader.

I’ve written before of the many constraints imposed upon school leaders in discharging their duties; muddying the waters between their role, oscillating as it does between leader and manager. Managing the challenges that this duality of role brings for principals is fraught with potential pitfalls – manage when leadership is called for, or conversely, lead when management is expected of you can lead to all sorts of unwanted outcomes – cognitive dissonance being but one.

As I leave the teaching profession, the occasional rearward glance is hard to avoid – in doing so, and looking forward it makes little practical sense to romanticise the past whilst being damning of the present and future. I experienced that in my formative years as a teacher and to put it bluntly, my perception of those senior colleagues espousing little more than negativity and a yearning for the “good old days” diminished in accord with each passing reference to a golden past. 

On reflection, I also found such commentary, demeaning, if not downright insulting. I didn’t join the teaching profession, nor did I seek school leadership positions to believe the best years were behind us and that I was powerless to make a positive difference to the lives of the children in my care. I made it my business to associate wherever, and whenever, with those people who brought with them an air of optimism and hope. Their influence, over the years has more than they might remember, sustained me through the bleaker times in our profession. 

Of course, wearing ‘rose-coloured glasses’ does little more to our vision than deceive us in what we see. Our profession, in many ways stands at a crossroads in these times. Principals are under pressure from all sides – there is no sugar-coating that. It is little wonder then that the number of up-and-coming middle level school leaders, and others, show far less inclination to even bother considering to aspire to the principal role than in the past. 

To make matters worse, principals are constantly looking over their shoulders, so to speak – fearful of what might be creeping up behind them; a constant cloud on the horizon. In such circumstances, it can become very difficult to maintain a steady eye on both managing and leading one’s school to its best outcomes. Nonetheless, hope springs eternal – history tells us that, over and over again. 

I see, now, in my rear-vision view of schools, many, many passionate and dedicated school staff. They all share, in their own way, the positive thoughts as I did all those years ago when I first started. There are also many passionate advocates working from without the profession with those within to create positive change. Then there is the potential of technology, as it always has, to be harnessed for the betterment of the education we provide for all children. Sometimes it takes a crisis to begin the journey upward once more. This may be that time.

It’s all about the children at the end of the day so the saying goes in our profession – and it is. In honour of the children that we are entrusted with to educate, I wrote a quote some years ago, first published in our school newsletter. Thank you, children:

If I had but one wish

I would that it be

That the laughter of children 

Always stays with me.