๐Ÿ“‘ School leadership during a pandemic: navigating tensions

Bookmarked School leadership during a pandemic: navigating tensions by Deborah Netolicky (Journal of Professional Capital and Community)

This pandemic has shown us that we are one society, one humanity and that leading is for us all. This is a time for us to consider what leadership means, regardless of title or position. We can reach out (from a physical distance) to others and support one another as best we can, even though isolation feels like it goes against our biology. We can consider carefully where we get our information and how we respond to that information. We can all lead by example, by clear communication with one another and by clarity of purpose and cohesiveness of action. There is no more important time to be kind to ourselves and each other than right now. We are in a time of adaptation and evolution, by necessity. When we come out the other side, society, work and education may be reformed for good.

Deborah Netolicky unpacks some of the challenges associated leading during the pandemic. She discusses the need to act both ‘fast and slow’:

In a time of crisis, leaders must act swiftly and with foresight but also with careful consideration of options, consequences and side effects of actions taken. They must communicate with clarity and purpose but also with empathy and humanity.

The culture of autonomy that has arisen out of necessity:

Leadership is not a title but an action, a behaviour, a practice, a doing and a way of being, and the current scenario has provided a crucible for teacher agency, agility, resilience and innovation.

With a sense of autonomy has come a culture of sharing and generosity:

There is a feeling that around the world, despite our different contexts, we are facing similar challenge and are โ€œall in this togetherโ€. This is resulting in generosity of sharing and of support.

This situation has brought back a reminder of the human at the heart of education:

At this time more than ever, we must consider humans before outcomes, students before results and well-being before learning.

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