Towards a better management of time in schools

Abstract

Various investigations such as those conducted by Hall et al, (1986) glaringly indicate that the headteacher's working day, "is hectic and fragmented and their activity characterised by brevity and variety." The Management of time, Cyril Wilkinson P. 271. Owing to the changing role of the head his responsibilities have widened and so the management of time in schools has become a crucial issue. His working day is often punctuated by a constant flow of, sometimes inevitable, interruptions, which sad to say are nailing him to his desk to perform managerial tasks, such as answering the telephone and doing lots of paperwork. These interruptions are leaving him little or no time at all to perform the educational tasks he is meant to do. Both the teachers' and the students' working times are also greatly reduced by a constant flow of interruptions, which we can eliminate most of them. I have identified most of them, if not all, and have suggested remedies to eliminate or reduce their negative effect. I have also identified the major Time stealers and Time eaters which also create barriers to the effective use of time. To give this long essay a greater weight I have conducted an exploratory study employing questionnaires to identify the major time wasters among (i) heads and deputies of all schools in Gozo and (ii) teachers serving at ''Ninu Cremona" Boys' Secondary School.