[jmorris]

jmorris

Surprisingly enough, I had this comment given to me by a special school recently. It went along the lines of, there is a shortage of training, but our teachers and SNAs aren’t using online training.

My response seemed to take them aback. It was along the lines of, “Well, if your team aren’t using something you are providing to them to help them do their jobs better – that is not a technology issue – it is a lack of management issue.”

(Spoiler alert – it is! Please feel free to view my ‘How to Manage People‘ course here if you are in ANY doubt.)

There was ONE overwhelming request from teachers, and Principals when setting up a system like this, and that was that the schools wanted to control how much, or little they asked their teachers, SETs, and SNAs to do. So, the policing on the system is almost non-existent on purpose. This gives autonomy and control to the schools to setup how they want to use it.

Some schools just give access, and let their teams take what they need as they see fit. Others, prescribe a set of courses from the system that they want teachers and SNAs to complete. However, it is down to the Principal on how seriously he or she takes Special Needs Education in their school. The saying ‘You can lead a horse to water’ springs to mind.

That said, there is ONE SINGLE SUREFIRE WAY to foster a spirit of excellence in your organization and that is to bake into your regular team discussions CPD progress. It has to become part of your weekly or monthly All-hands meetings.

(You are having All hands meetings aren’t you?) By starting this habit, and you focusing on it seriously at each meeting, it helps everyone focus on the fact that they can improve and are expected to do their bit to help.

The only LONG-TERM WINNER of Continuous Self Improvement is you. Not the school, not the pupils, you. A pupil will get the benefit of your extra knowledge and the confidence that goes with it for as long as she or he is in your class (and you’ll become one of those educators who is fondly remembered by them and their parents in future). The person who will take this learning with you forward in life to the benefit of your own nearest and dearest is you.

So, log in, pick, and start a course now. (It’s easier to complete something you have started, than start something afresh!)

Happy learning.