The School Corridor Tatler

Thanksgiving service is more like a homecoming celebration Today I attended Sullivan Primary School’s 50 th Anniversary Thanksgiving service. There we sat, under the red marquee in the quad complete with makeshift stage under an arch of maroon and yellow balloons. It was this simple and dignified. No hiring of civic halls or private halls for this private, intimate function. I did not expect any different from Ernest Moore, the Head of Sullivan Primary School. The school is the treasure house of rich memories of the foundational years of many a South African community builder and what better place to have the thanksgiving ceremony than at the heritage place? All the alumni of Sullivan, please stand up… The Thanksgiving event was like one massive homecoming. There were at least four of the first pupils who started Sub A when the school – then known as the nameless “Steenberg No.4”- started in 1963. Professor Jonathan Jansen, who specially flew in for the event, was one of them. Jonatha...

Ocean View High School chose April month to re-open their library, the significant month when we celebrate our freedom and look forward to all the possibilities to get all South Africans to soar. The Ocean View High School community after the unveiling of the plaque in the newly re-opened library. Last night, while the rain beat down and the wind ran through trees and roads, Ocean View High school re-opened their school library. Why you ask, did the school choose to have the opening and unveiling of the library/resource centre at 19h00. Well, this school is working hard at involving and embracing the community in their work. If you want the community present, if you want the parents and the School Governing Body to be celebrating with you, you host the events at a time that suits them.   Powerful messages of walking the talk. Trumpeting our National Anthem A trumpet recital of our National anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ IAfrika, was played by one of Ocean View High students. Yes, Go...

I have joined the ‘Dump the Annual Performance reviews’ brigade I have just completed my annual performance review session. Often my colleagues cannot understand why I would insist on having a lengthy session. “I just want to get it over and done with”, is a common refrain I hear. However, I take my performance appraisal seriously because I believe that I am accountable to myself, the people I serve and the organization I belong to. I would thus make these sessions work for me. However, these once-off sessions become ends in themselves and this is what is becoming more of an Achilles Heel for me. I now too believe that it is time to dump the Annual performance review system in its present form. Annual Performance reviews are a fallacy Most of us only engage in the annual performance review sessions because our line managers have to comply with the organisation’s policy on employee appraisal processes.   In fact, I suspect many of them would dearly love to scrap this process   ...

Term 1 was going nowhere slowly What a term! I suppose one can equate the first school term of the year to a steam train on steroids. Huffing and puffing we pulled ourselves along. My long camping experience became one massive blur as I tried to make sense of all the demands that came crashing down on me. Even the weekends became like water stations on a long run: you grab the foam cup, let the water dribble down your chin, neck and bust all the while keeping to a slow, contorted walk or jog. Yes, I should know because somewhere in my heyday,I did the Spar walk and the Cape Times Walk then and all kinds of fun walk/runs.  Technology vendetta Then of course, technology played havoc with me as well, pushing up my fragile blood pressure to Mount Etna proportions. My aged laptop was rebelling and no amount of coaxing could get it to link me to the internet - my artery to communicate with all those I serve.I cannot be without e-connectivity if I want to be current, ...