Murder [Y]our Darlings

In a brief chat with a friend of mine – working as a library assistant at a school – he shared his experience of stepping in as a substitute teacher. One of the teachers at his school was transferred last year, and the school is yet to get a replacement. 

Wondering what motivated him to do a task outside his duties, I teased him:

“Wait... don’t tell me that you are getting paid for two jobs? 

When did you secretly become a teacher? Did you attend any crash course? 

So, you are the school’s new hero who is saving from the teacher shortage?”

It was not my friend’s knowledge or ability to be a substitute teacher that caught my attention. What struck me even more was the realisation that this practice is still going on. This approach is still deemed as a quick fix and convenient way to relief the school from teacher shortage –keeping classes supervised by the staff, even they are not trained teachers. 

But for how long this temporary solution can address the permanent teacher shortage remains questionable. 

That is where the concept of Murder [Y]our Darling comes in.

Murder [Y]our Darlings  

Humans tend to cling on routines and practices that they are often used to, simply because we feel acquainted and comfortable with – even if they are no longer effective or helpful.  

This phenomenon happens more often than we realise – in leadership, education, and governance besides our personal life – inhibiting the growth or progress of ideas or a system.  

Murder your darling – a concept originally used in the advice of writing – applies perfectly here. In broader sense, murder your darling means giving up things that we are used to – such as habits, ideas, methods, rules, practices, or traditions – even if they seem to work, because they might actually stop us from moving forward. This means, even if it is one’s beloved thing or a favourite practice, if it no longer benefits the greater good or a system as whole, we must be willing to let it go. 

For writers, it means removing their beloved paragraph written with some clever metaphor (chey-taam) that does not connect or support the overall idea. For students, it means discontinuing a study method they are used to in learning maths but no longer helps you solve advance questions effectively. For teachers, it means changing the cherished teaching strategy or revising precious lesson plan used over years, if it no longer engages students in their learning.

Focusing on the situation of my friend described above, for school leaders, this means stopping the tradition of using non-teaching staff as classroom substitutes even if it temporarily addresses the teacher shortage. 

When to Murder Your Darling 

Sometimes, the path to progress means letting go of what we love or find comfort in. We must recognise the moment when our beloved ideas or habits no longer serve us and make bold decisions to “murder our darlings”. 

Murder our darlings when

·      it no longer produces positive results.

·      it causes more harm than good.

·      better alternatives exist.

A principal may view assigning support staff to teach as resourceful and efficient way to use human resources. But these shortcuts are unsustainable and entail more drawbacks than commonly perceived benefits. 

A true leadership is about making bold decisions to surrender outdated or ineffective practices and adapting to the present needs and future possibilities.

For example, instead of assigning support staff to fill teaching roles, principals should hold relevant stakeholders accountable for ensuring adequate teacher deployment. Currently, our school management tends to push teachers beyond reasonable limits, yet they hesitate to defy higher authorities to secure enough teaching staff. It is time to “murder our darlings” of complacency, appeasement, and fear-driven compliance.

Schools should move away from the outdated practice of burdening school staffs, which comprises quality of education and ultimately deprives students of their right to quality education. By rejecting this temporary solution, we can prompt policymakers and stakeholders to re-evaluate their practices and prioritise sustainable, long-term solutions.