Preparing Your Plans – It’s A Walk In The Park!

I wasn’t the only one taking a walk in the park this morning. Everywhere I looked there were people taking their dogs for a walk too. Some had them on a leash while others let them run freely. Walking down the broad tree lined pathway, I soon became aware of a park maintenance vehicle coming up behind me. Of more interest to me, though, was to watch – and listen – to an older woman talking out loud about the approaching vehicle. Sometimes to herself and sometimes to her large alsatian which was off the leash.

She was essentially thinking out loud. First and foremost, trying to determine which way the park maintenance vehicle was travelling and what steps she needed to take to make sure that she and her dog weren’t going to be in harm’s way. There was a strong sense of her visualising the scene while articulating the thoughts that were in her head.

A few weeks ago, I was asked to provide some support this term for a teacher taking up the reins as a Head of English for the very first time. So as I was walking through the park this morning, my thoughts were starting to range over the multiple responsibilities that this role carries. Looking at this picture of a dog walker in sunny California seemed to offer a visual summary of the need for order and a calm, measured pace, not to mention being able to keep cool under pressure. How many Heads of English and their teams have themselves been exercised by the recent GCSE English marking fiasco – and the need to broker the developing situation to their anxious students?

Being the Head of an English Department or Faculty is a tough but extremely rewarding role. As the summer starts to wane and the new term approaches, I’ll be encouraging the new Head of English to scope out that role and the responsibilities that come with it. And as that process unfolds, to seek to prioritise as far as possible.

As the Head of an English Department, her team will be looking to her to lead and manage their work and all the pedagogical developments needed to realise their shared vision. Among all the competing priorities, the new Head of English would do well to make a key priority the need to focus on the people that comprise the team and to learn to recognise their varying strengths while developing a clear understanding of their collective needs.