天主教教育事務處繼去年邀請悉尼天主教教育事務總監 Brother Kelvin Canavan訪港的成功經驗，今年再次邀請悉尼天主教育事務處人力資源總監Miss Natalie McNamara到港為天主教學校校監及校長舉行講座及工作坊。

 Miss Natalie McNamara 是一位資深的教育工作�矷A由教師到校長，然後在悉尼教育事務處工作。在過去二十五年期間，有效地調配及運用人力資源。她的工作包括 幫助建立一個有效的遴選制度，招聘校長，培訓現職校長，副校長及中層管理。如何為天主教學校培育合適及有能力的平信徒作接班人，更是過去十年 Natalie的重點工作。

就未來如何培訓天主教學校的教育工作者，Natalie 曾到多國演講。由於在人力資源工作方面有出色的表現，於2003年獲頒 KPMG's National Award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Human Resources'

是次為校監及校長安排的講座及工作坊， 特別針對討論工作評估與問責及專業發展的關係。Natalie特別強調自評及問責的重耍性，因為它的意義最終是為提升學生的學習成效。良好的學校，建基於優秀的教師身上。因此學校領導有責任幫助教師作持續專業發展，啟發他們的潛能。而坦誠及有建設性的對話，更是專業發展的重耍一環。有效的對話，絕對有助加強彼此的溝通及了解。 教師便可從明白自我的強項及弱項而不斷有所進步。

在小組分享的過程中，參與者熱烈討論如何有效落實校內自評機制並提出面對的困難。在總結半天的講座及討論，Natalie 亦不忘提醒校長們作為一所天主教學校的領導，須謹記福音的價值，因為這價值直接影個人的態度及行為，亦是一所天主教學校應具備的特質。

是次講座及工作坊有一百七十多位校監、校長參與。出席者均認同Natalie的講解給于他們反思的機會，亦有助解決他們與教師溝通的困難，並希望教育事務處能定期舉辦不同形式的講座，使同工可以互相交流及支援。

　

Ms Natalie McNamara, Director of Human Resources of the Catholic Education Office Sydney, conducted a Seminar on “Performance Review in Relation to Accountability and Professional Development” on 14th March 2005. She stressed the importance of feedback to staff on how they are performing their duties in the school community. “ In many ways it is a challenge to learn how to deal with negative criticism in a positive manner,” she said.

Ms McNamara said that the responsibility for creating a culture within which this process can happen is primarily the responsibility of the principal. She said we “need to take seriously” Jesus’s dictum to “settle grievances privately with your brother before taking them to the public forum,” and noted that values such as “loving and caring are not soft options. They are at the very basis of our faith,” she stressed. “However, such criticism should never be spiteful but needs to take place within a culture where there is a commitment to a process of professional review and development.”

“This is not something that can happen by chance,” she noted. “It must be programmed into the life of a school. It is part of normal professional development for all staff and accountability requires it.” She stressed that teachers must be “accountable” especially to the students, whom she described as being “the focus of all our endeavours.”

“ It is a process of goal-setting,” she explained. “Each individual sets one or two goals” and the assessment of progress should then be understood as a “service to the community” and not as personal criticism.

Ms McNamara emphasized that the role of a school principal is “vital” to the development of a Catholic school. “We are teaching a framework for life,” she noted, “and values that provide young people with a value system within a culture context and with a rationale. Teaching must be inclusive and non-discriminatory,” she stressed, “and these values must be integrated into the curriculum. It is the principal’s job to ensure this happens.”

Ms McNamara’s visit to Hong Kong is part of an on-going relationship with the CEO Sydney and is a follow-up to last year’s visit of the Chief Executive of the Sydney office, Brother Kelvin Canavan, and an exposure trip to Australia of 29 Hong Kong principals.