Balance - by Andrew Oberthur (Paperback)

About the Book

The roles and responsibilities of educators grow every year. They are tasked with creating high-performing schools while working within protocols.

Book Synopsis

The roles and responsibilities of educators grow more complex every year. School leaders and teachers are tasked with creating high-performing schools that foster a culture of trust, collaboration and enquiry for students, parents and staff - all while working within prescribed protocols of safety, equity, transparency and fiscal responsibility. How do they do it? There's no simple solution, but balance is the key.

Andrew Oberthur draws on his rich experience as a principal and teacher to unpack a range of scenarios where a balance must be struck between following the rules and building relationships. His insights on ethical and courageous leadership - including when to follow and when to flex - offer new and experienced educators a proven framework for difficult decision-making.

Exploring real-life dilemmas of communication, enrolment, staffing, budgeting, behaviour management, parent-teacher relationships, managing through uncertainty and more, Balance provides tested strategies for navigating the system's myriad rules and regulations while building positive relationships and improving outcomes for all students.

Review Quotes

This book puts all the everyday decisions of a school leader into a real and raw perspective we can all relate to. I wish I had the book when I first became a principal. It is so easy to get caught in the emotion of a situation, especially when it is delicate and involves parents or staff. Andrew provides realistic scenarios and level-headed strategies to deal with situations where the question is: "Do I stick to protocol, or do I build a relationship here?".

Gabrielle Hansen, Head of Department - Curriculum

The spread of chapters and topics is a wonderful resource for principals working through the five P's process and offers a reaffirmation of current principal practices that may spark change in future practice. The insights shared in this book support both new and experienced principals to navigate their daily work. The scenario reflection section at the end of each chapter is a good idea for leaders. Also, the three questions for productive parent-teacher communication is a great tool for school leaders.

Kurt Rose, principal

Andrew Oberthur has done it again. He has taken on one of the world's most complex and challenging human dynamics: how do we manage the relationships of teachers, parents and primary school students to produce a significant improvement in our educational outcomes? The book is enriched with real-life examples from day-to day-happenings of what does work, what could work and what doesn't work that leave the reader thinking, "Oh, yeah. That's obvious; yet I would never have thought of it".

Allan Parker OAM, behavioural scientist and international negotiator

This book is a worthwhile resource and of particular interest to early career principals as they navigate the complex world of principalship. Andrew has thought of many scenarios which are pertinent and relevant in the decision making processes of school leaders.

Kerry Latimer, retired principal

Andrew Oberthur hits some of the major themes that school leaders face in finding the balance between following the rules and adopting a level of flexibility. I also feel that he cautions, covertly, regarding the things you can't be flexible around and why. Andrew finds a good balance (no pun intended) between writing about state and independent systems. Finally, I think the question he poses early, "Does this improve the learning and wellbeing of students, staff and families?", provides a solid ethical and moral foundation on which principals and school leaders can base their decisions.

Ray Boyd, principal

About the Author