Blogs

What is Retirement Planning?  

Leading Great Teams

Today, as organizations become more advanced and knowledge becomes commonplace through the use of technology, leaders are realising the importance of a team.  Slowly, the individualistic thinking and siloed culture are being eroded and there is acknowledgement of the appreciation of skills and competencies that others bring to the table.  Every good leader knows the value of a focussed and high performing team as well as the associated risks of leading an unhappy one.

Hargreaves and Shirley (2009) indicate that “our schools are the social embryos of humanity—those institutions that we establish to promote our highest collective values. They should be the embodiment of norms of reciprocity, social trust, and democratic deliberation” (p. 163).  Schools are centres of action in the education system.

 “Health does not just mean the absence of sickness. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of diseases and infirmity. It means you feel good all around” (Fountain and Goodwin, 1996). This statement proves true.  We cannot have overall good health without having good physical, mental and social health. They all influence each other. How many times have you seen it? A ‘perfectly physically fit’ individual; however very poor social or mental health? Do you remember the famous Robin Williams? He was very sociable; however, he battled depression for some time before taking his own life. For any individual to be termed ‘healthy’, he/she would need to not only be free of diseases but also have good mental, physical and social wellbeing.

Stress Coping Mechanisms

Making Home Ownership a Reality through Financially Sound Decisions

Introduction

The road to homeownership is an exciting journey. It can give you a sense of personal satisfaction to have a home of your own to share and enjoy with family and friends. However, for many Jamaicans the thought of buying a house doesn’t just feel far away, but nearly impossible. With so many new developments and houses on the market and the high costs associated with home ownership, many Jamaicans are daunted and even demotivated. Like any major decision, one need to exercise careful considerations as home ownership should ideally be one such priority. After all, it is by far one of the biggest financial decisions one has to make in their lifetime. The key to making homeownership a reality is to ensure that you have a sound financial plan and a feasible budget to set aside money that will be needed for expenses such as making the deposit and other fees including closing costs, stamp duties, lawyer fees etc. It can be a very costly venture but with sound and early financial intervention, it is achievable. At the end of the day, it all comes down to saving and planning.

Introduction

Cute isn't she! Can you tell just by looking that something is wrong with her?                                                                                                                       

The Retired Principal: Leadership Lessons by Mrs. Catherine Malcolm

Introduction

I would imagine that very few persons who aspire to be a school leader would not be aiming to be successful. Principals, sometimes do not share experiences and insights with each other so as to facilitate shared learning experiences. This article has been written through a reflective lens to identify and highlight experiences gained in my years of experience in School leadership. As such, my focus is to highlight important lessons learnt in being an effective School leader. My role as an assessor with the NCEL programme  also provides me with in-depth knowledge of the programme and the opportunity to consider connections between my own past experiences and aspects of the NCEL training programme.