Monday, 11 March 2019

I don't belong to anybody; nor do you


Here's a little bugbear of mine: Headteachers who talk about staff as if they were personal possessions. 

In the past, when I've been introduced as 'my head of geography' or 'my deputy' I've always felt my toes curl. The rank and file work in service of the school, just as Headteachers do. Referring to staff as if they were indentured labourers toiling in the service of a magnanimous overlord gets my goat. 

Heads, please, if you must introduce staff by their title use: 'the head of geography', 'the director or IT'. To do otherwise is to elevate yourself to a status that is not yours. 

Have the humility to accept that, just like the rest of us, you are a salaried employee, whose tenure will end, working in the service of an institution that will likely long outlast you. 

Share: