"Politics" in Instructional Supervision

The word “politics” attaches to it the word “leadership.”  In Philippine Education, supervisors exclaim exasperation at changes every time there is a change of Secretary Education.  Teachers have no choice but to adopt the changes.  This is reflective of Philippine history that showed a change of leaders as the country went through Spanish colonizers and  American rule.  When the Americans took over from the Spaniards, the educational system was poorly structured because of the archipelagic nature of a thousand islands. 

From education of a hit and miss method by friars or missionaries, indicative of a scientific method of management, the Americans sought uniformity in the management of education that employed human relationships by teachers of military background.  Education since then have evolved and advanced to transformational leadership styles resulting from researches and practices. 

The historical changes are three (3) movements of supervisory thoughts and practice as summarized by Dr. Adelaida L. Bago’s table of the perspective of supervision:

About the Author:

By twist of fate, the author, Melinda P. Suyosa, after working in a rubber roller making enterprise,  recently found herself gladly embarking on a new profession, that of a principal in a small high school.  Banahaw Institute, a 66-year old high school, is the only private high school located in the town of Magdalena, province of Laguna.