Roger Bent was an aspirational type who worked out early what he wanted and aimed to become what he imagined he could be. He was not particularly gifted in any significant way but he had a brimming reservoir of self-belief that fuelled his trajectory to his goal of greatness. He was besotted with himself and his narcissistic desires, and his wants and needs took precedence over those of others, who were useful only as far as that they could help him onwards and upwards.
'The only thing worse than ignorance is arrogance.' Albert Einstein
He was a classroom teacher for a while and he tolerated the
discomfort and ignominy of sitting on what he thought was the bottom rung of
the corporate ladder. This was a temporary situation as he worked out the lie
of the land, and how best he would use those around him to get what he wanted.
He made strategic connections with significant others,
saying the right thing to the right people at the right time, making personal
and professional alliances with those who would help him on his way.
His leadership colleagues recognised the attributes and
qualities which would help them in their quest for corporate glory. They relayed
this good news to their line manager, the local education director who deemed
he had potential and had ‘corporate’ sensibilities.
Bent had ingratiated himself into what would become a powerful and influential trinity of influence and privilege, the aspiring classroom teacher leader, the narcissist principal, and the bully director.
'Sycophants suck up to those who can help them and discard them when they are of no use to them anymore.' Dr. Dan D. Ruff
Though still a lowly classroom teacher Bents profile grew in the school as he worked hard to help his principal achieve their goals, meet site KPI’s which in turn would reflect well on the director overseer whose reputation was only as good as the network school’s performance.
The students of course were to Bent what all insignificant
others were, a means to an end. He supported the director and the principal in
beefing up the academics of reading, writing and arithmetic whilst music, play
based learning and other secondary subject considerations became afterthought electives.
The better the academic test scores, the stronger the trinity became. The
results reflected well on them and their need for approval became the driving
force behind what they did.
'I need their approval.' Roger Bent
It wasn’t long before Bent got his foot in the leadership
door and he was rewarded by the principal for his dedication to the tasks they set
for him, which he attended to without question. He was anointed duly as the
curriculum coordinator with the accompanying privileges and entitlements. The
director in turn was happy to rubber stamp what was essentially a
principal/director strategically made appointment.
Bent became less interested in the lives and travails of his
teacher peers as their usefulness diminished whilst his leadership fortunes continued
upward. He had no qualms about this as he now moved in the rarefied air of the influencers
and decision makers. He had become a privileged leadership group member, a
comrade in arms who set themselves apart from the classroom teacher plebs who
were there to do their bidding.
'Teacher's should know their place and do what they are told.' Education Director, Dame Dorrie Dumpling
The Leadership Group expressed their privilege and
entitlement in not-so-subtle ways, reflecting a coarse and naïve disregard and
disrespect for the classroom teachers who worked tirelessly just down the
corridor from where they would often meet. They would chat, laugh, and
socialise as they believed they were entitled to and they reflected on where
they had come from, lowly classroom teachers to managers and decision makers.
They would order in take away and go on extended ‘meetings’ outside of school
with the odd Maccas stopover or shopping jaunt as they wended their way back to
school, having left some underling to cover for them. Yes, this was the way to
go and Bent thought that there were more spoils in the offing.
'A corporatized education leader is a person who says yes to whatever is demanded of them without question.' Aunt Nellie Norbitt
Bent was on his way to better things and he accrued brownie points for doing what was demanded of him and which he did with alacrity. The rank and file distrusted him and his motives but he cared not a jot! Those in the know valued his contributions to the collective corporate goals, aims and objectives, and he felt satisfied with his progress … for now.
Bent negotiated, fawned, and crawled his way to a
principalship. He stayed connected with his mentors and they fed off each
other’s egos and they’d meet and regale their successes and wins in the
business of education.
'To be a leader one has to risk the dislike and disdain of others but in the end it doesn't matter as long as I get what I want.' A. R. Sole
Mr Bent eventually, found himself appointed as a local education director and he felt appropriately chuffed at the speed at which he’d reached this milestone and he thought the sky was the limit though he’d focus on this role for the time being. He had an office and staff to tend to his administrative needs and he was set. But it wasn’t as easy as he thought. He was accountable and had oversight over a network of schools and he soon realised he was out of his depth.
One local school was doing particularly well and he fell into a cosy relationship with the principal there. He knew he had to look after those who made him look good but this was his undoing, the great unravelling, the beginning of his demise, the beginning of the end.
How could this be? How could our golden teacher prodigy get
so close but in the end fall oh so far from the world he had imagined in the
early days? He had fallen foul of his own underhanded shenanigans.
The local school which he had cosied up to had what we will
call staff troubles. Though the school had ‘performed’ exceedingly well in the national
tests and everyone was appropriately well chuffed there was a simmering
undercurrent of discontent, a potential powder keg of resentment of the disenfranchised,
a disquiet that detracted from the overall health and wellbeing of the people
who worked there and which could explode at any moment, a toxic slurry of discontent!
'The shit would surely hit the fan. A big jobby was on its way!' Jim 'Jobby' McGregor
What had Mr. Bent done? A school employee had been the subject
of a targeted vendetta against them, not too dissimilar to the experiences of
many others over the years whose ‘miscreance’ had seen them cast out the door,
dismissed and discarded at the behest of a chosen few who ran the place. One particular
‘golden child’ so much loved and respected by the principal would every now and
then decide that a particular ‘other’ didn’t fit their conception of how the
school should look and feel. It may be that a person was popular, vivacious, competent,
and skilled or well liked by the students or their parents enough to detract
from the ‘golden child’s’ self-aggrandising and overinflated sense of importance
(that’s another story!).
'I don't like that one. They're not nice. Get rid of them!' Prudence Putty Nose
So, the boss did as they were told and began the process of ‘termination’
as had happened so many times over the years. The principal couldn’t countenance
a situation where their favourite mentee felt uncomfortable, tearful, and unhappy
and like the proverbial knight on their white steed rode to their rescue.
The targeted other had made a complaint about bullying to the appropriate authorities and confidential correspondence which went to Mr. Bents office, found its way back to the local school where the principal and his mentee were privy to information which would be prejudicial to the bullied educator’s chances of justice and fair play. Mr Bent, Roger Bent, had stepped over the line of everything ethical, professional, and right to help a ‘mate,’ to add to the bullying dynamic of bully, victim, and bystander.
Long story short, Mr Bent was investigated by the police and
duly held to account and the local school principal and their sycophant
enablers were disciplined accordingly. A new school leadership team was
appointed and the school moved on from this unfortunate situation.
No, wait! That’s not right! Mr Bent was moved sideways with
all the usual pay and privileges due a Regional Director and the principal and
their bullying buddies remained where they were. Mysteriously, the corporate
protection squad made the problem go away. Nothing to see here, all’s well that
ends well, no?
The bullied educator was left to ponder the imponderable and
though they had some satisfaction knowing that they were heard, they were left
with a sense of helplessness and disappointment in a system that favours the
favoured while the rest go and suffer in their jocks!
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