On school Heads and SLTs, their position now and beyond, and expressing gratitude
This week I have noticed some communications and actions from school leaders that were filled with the intention to actively take care of the school community of families and teachers (who also have families), using the power of the leadership role to activate flexibility and actually provide an approach that is, I would say, caring.
Being kind and caring in the workplace, acting according to one’s values with awareness of the positive domino effect of wellbeing-oriented decision making: there is research about this and some can be found in the work of Frank Bond, who highlights how this is related to productivity and good performance (https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-24/edition-12/acting-compassion). But I don’t want to discuss this topic here.
In line with the intention of this well-being portal, I want to shed light on expressing #gratitude towards school leaders and what they are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly daily changes in routines, Government requirements, community needs and more.
During the first wave of the pandemic I have been made aware of one program for school leaders, offered in Italian schools in the Lombardy area. It was designed by a Principal of a secondary school, and friend, and involved other school Heads I had the chance to work with. It made me think. How often have we asked our school leaders and SLT members how they have been feeling within their roles these months? As members of a school community, do we mainly expect to be considered, or experience tension following leaders’ decisions, or are we also mindful of how it can feel to be in that position? I am sure there is a variety of answers, and each and everyone probably moves in and out both areas of focusing on the self and on the other.
I felt it was important to encourage the community to stop and consider the experience of Principals and leaders, and decide to send a message of closeness and support to a role that is essential and challenging, and this year even more so.
Yesterday I went through a recent article published in Educational Psychology in Practice: Duncan Gillard , David Wright , Aoife McNally , Paul E. Flaxman , Ross McIntosh & Kyla Honey (2020): Acceptance & commitment therapy for school leaders’ well-being: an initial feasibility study.
I find interesting that it explores the feasibility of such programs: as much as I am used to see trainings implemented for other members of the school communities, I am not so used to see programs that take care of leaders' well-being in schools, and this can be related to a number of cultural, practical aspects that we need to consider.
Another interesting outcome from the research is that ‘Many comments from participants suggested that the group-based nature of the training programme provided a helpful, safe and supportive space for consideration about what were often personal matters, related to both their professional lives and lives beyond the workplace. For example, participants particularly appeared to appreciate and see the significance of the opportunity to share important experiences with fellow school leaders within the group: participants’ responses suggested that the group forum and supportive group-dynamic of the programme provided a workable context in which to reflect upon what they really care about and upon their well-being and how to nurture and support it’.
. . .working with other people and listening to other people’s journeys, that was really useful. (Elliot)
. . .it was nice to be in a room with other people who had the same pressures in their job as you do, and hearing about them. (Finn)
While leaving leaders to reflect on the feasibility and usefulness of such programs on their well-being, which they might actually have experienced, I would like to express gratitude for the strength, presence and intentional decision making that each leader was and is able to activate in this unprecedented experience of their professional role. Each little bit.
Thank you.
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