Fr. Lam highlighted four core values of the Preventive System as the principle for school middle management. The first is internalization. For educators, if the values of the Preventive System are not recognized and internalized, they will not be effective. The second is prevention. Prevention does not refer to prohibition but the spirit of prevention. Only planting positive seeds in the hearts of the young, nurturing them with encouragement, support and companionship, can we achieve good results. The third is the building of family atmosphere. Building family atmosphere means that even if there are different opinions, we can still support each other at critical moments. The fourth is the most important core value - religion. This is the energy of Don Bosco to continue his educational mission. Moreover, this is the most important element for developing the whole person.
Mr. Chan shared his real-life experience and re-defined middle management in its different educational aspects. Firstly, it is not appropriate to apply industrial management principles to education as this is a matter of the heart which cannot be quantified. When we handle crisis at school and in individuals, alertness is crucial and preventive measures should be taken before it is too late. Being a middle manager, we should have a sense of self-evaluation to assess the effectiveness of our work. Mr. Chan said that he loves the phrase “Professional Retreat”. It implies stepping back, broadening the horizon and evaluating the situation, as well as external factors and influences.
After the seminar, participants obtained a better picture on how they could re-adjust their position in school middle management for the benefit of school development.