Setting my boundaries

As acting Head of Department (HOD), I felt as though I am on the job six days a week, twelve – fourteen hours a day. And in many ways I am. But I came to realize for those middel manager who don’t establish a sense of boundary between their own lives and the contribution they make to their school run a risk of low job satisfaction and a high rate of burnout. Hence, I did a quick relook of my new role and responsibilities three weeks ago, and decided to set clear boundaries between my work and my personal life as I did when I was Subject Head (SH).

Not every lunch has to be a working lunch at my desk. I can take some time off by myself at the staff lounge or to chat with colleagues I really want to be with in the canteen, not just working colleagues who I need to work with. There are times I must say to myself – No bringing work back home today! But at times it is impossible not to bring work back – then I need to say to myself not to bring certain kinds of work home with me!

As I worked on my roles and responsibilities this year 2013, I hope to learn from the experience, and next year be able to establish a plan where I will take work back home only on certain days of the week. Hence, I will need to delegate more freely, particularly when there are other SHs and teachers who are more experienced and better trained or more capable of managing certain events or doing Raa─Raa than I am. I also refused to be led by some colleagues who try to draw me into other teacher’s personal concerns. By refusing all these do not mean that I am not a caring people developer or caring HOD. Instead, I find that it would be beneficial to everyone to detach myself from problems which I believe the teachers themselves really have to solve by themselves.

I also have to keep reminding myself that I cannot give other what I don’t have myself – this been my first year in my new role. I really need to establish boundaries so that I will not deprive myself of all my energy and more importantly the sense of calm, without which, I would not be in any position to help my SHs or teachers even if I try to.