Monitors' Training

What is the role of a school monitor? What are their responsibilities? What kind of situations might arise that they have to deal with? What authority might a monitor exercise? Such were the types of questions raised during the Monitors' Training Day at Wyeside last weekend. The new team of 24 monitors gathered for a day of evaluation, exploration and team building in order fully to consider their new roles in the School.

Through discussion, problem-solving, presentations, command tasks and role play, they explored many facets of being a monitor and working with others, including other pupils, fellow monitors and staff. Mrs S Price, the new Pastoral Deputy Head who will be joining the School in September, joined the day's discussions, and was very impressed by the quality of the new team with whom she will be working.

They took part in a range of team building exercises and discussed thought-provoking hypothetical scenarios, designed to test their natural instincts in a given situation, as well as their ability to follow directions and to respond well to authority. The day included a psychological profiling exercise which had the monitors soon debating whether they were 'Pragmatists', ' Theorists', 'Activists' or 'Reflectors' . The acting monitors thoroughly enjoyed the command tasks designed by Mr R Batchelor, the Academic Deputy Head. The highlight of these, for the staff at least, was the competition between teams of monitors erecting tents blindfolded whilst being given instructions from afar.

Patience was a virtue, as discovered by all, and an acknowledgement that ''most' problems can be solved through teamwork and discussion.