Who is shaping your professional IDENTITY?
Few things define a career person more than the educational institutions they attended or the workplaces they've been a part of.
Take Joe, for example. Whenever he enters a new environment, people often assume he’s a graduate of prestigious schools like Kings College Buddo or Jinja College, or that he attended one of those universities known for producing top-tier professionals.
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The truth is: Joe didn’t attend any of those schools. He went to a Senior Secondary School (S.S.S.), which, in my country, isn't particularly prestigious or highly respected post primary education centres.
Traditionally (unlike today), schools didn't just take on admirable names; these names came with expectations and a mission to uphold certain standards. So, why do people associate Joe with all these elite institutions?
The answer lies in the culture of the school Joe joined as a young teacher. His school was deeply intentional about staff professional development.
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As a young teacher, Joe embraced every challenge and was eager to learn. Over time, his workplace shaped much of his professional conduct.
Today, Joe doesn’t think, behave, or act like someone who just went to a "Senior Secondary School." How his workplace managed to transform him into a highly competitive professional is a story for another day.
This post is meant to spark a conversation about school culture.What do you admire most about traditional prestigious colleges & high schools? Is it their:
⏩ High academic achievement culture?
⏩ Rich curricular ?
⏩ High moral standards?
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School culture isn't shaped by slogans on walls or well-intentioned policies alone; it’s molded by the everyday actions and decisions of the teachers.
Those prestigious schools I mentioned had standards that were upheld by staff first, then by students. If students aren’t proud of their school uniform, how can they honor and respect the national flag of their country?
Your school culture is only as strong as the least misbehavior you tolerate. Inconsistencies erode the very foundation of the culture we strive to build.
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At the heart of this issue lies a crucial question: What behaviors are we tolerating that undermine our school values? It could be a;
⏩⏩ Disruptive student,
⏩⏩ Unengaged teacher, or
⏩⏩ Complacency in addressing these challenges.
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Every instance of unaddressed misconduct sends a message to students—"this is now acceptable behavior". Before you know it, a completely new culture is born.
Let’s have an open dialogue.
What behaviors have you been recently ignoring that potentially could dent your good school culture? Share your thoughts in the comments
Wow. This is another masterpiece of Culture.
While I was a leader, I interacted with students who used to come late, dodge classes and did what they wanted.
That was the culture.
The next 8 months I did more meetings that may othet head prefects, talking to students as individuals and streams.
This culture started changing