Who Is The Captain Of The Ship?

The person who is in complete charge of something is the captain of the ship. In the classroom that’s you, no one else.

You hold ultimate command and responsibility of your vessel and children need to know this.

In most classrooms being the captain is easy because you have respect and children know who is in charge. In other classrooms, there are plenty of children after your job and like to think they are steering things. A captain is in charge of his crew not the crew in charge of the captain. You will always come up against resistance, defiance and power struggles but pirates are not welcome.

Being a teacher is being a captain of a ship. You are the highest-ranking ‘officer’ in the classroom which makes you directly responsible for the conduct of the crew and the successful completion of the ship’s mission.

A ship’s captain logs a ship’s course and speed, weather conditions and other factors that influence movement of the ship. Ship captains must therefore have excellent problem-solving skills because they have to adapt to changing conditions and respond to emergency situations. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? The captain works with officers and crews (your TA) to monitor a ship’s positions and avoid hazards. This is assessment for learning in action.

As the captain, you must be vigilant about the condition of everything on board the ship and make regular rounds to ensure all equipment is functioning (yes, that means those damn iPads).

Obviously as the captain of the ship you are going to encounter some story weather such as parental typhoons, mental health hurricanes and political cyclones. This will leave you feeling sea sick on occasions but your crew will look up to you for daily advice, guidance, navigation and inspiration. Weathering the storms and carrying on is essential. Shipwrecks are not an option.

Being the captain of a ship is full of ups and downs but every few weeks you get to experience a break on land. In the summer, this break is longer and but after a while you get sick of the land and you can’t wait to get back your sea legs.