Only 22% of survey participants feel their training has prepared them for the current crisis. This is particularly the case in international schools where most teachers do not have a traditional support network of local family and friends to rely upon and may not know how to seek professional help or cannot afford to pay for it. The fact that I have to do double the work because they couldn’t create a plan that actually works. ..what a shallow, baseless society we have become when the war on drugs trumps basic reason. It is time for schools to accept that their leaders are their most precious resource during a crisis and a leader’s wellbeing should be managed carefully like any other major resource. By September, tanks are already running low for many. Teachers struggling to cope with the constant changes thrown at them, cannot be blamed for focusing their disquiet on team leaders or looking to them for personal support. 'Dawning of the Day' by Mary Fahl (former lead singer of October Project). Acquiring these future-ready learning skills and attributes will allow our students not only to cope with the fast-changing world and the uncertainty that lies ahead but will place them in a strong position to take advantage of the exciting opportunities that emerging technologies offer, not only to transform their own lives but to solve the problems that we face as humankind and make the world a better place. This can be highly stressful for middle leaders, caught between wanting to support their principal, while at the same time doing what is best for colleagues and students and remaining consistent with their own values. I have been thinking a lot about the longer term impact of COVID on schools. Often they take this out on you as a senior leader. The second pillar draws upon the four Cs: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, supporting students in complex problem solving. It is hard to express the value of finding space to discuss your struggles with a professional and gaining new perspective. For a small minority, however, who may have a history of mental health issues, it is very frightening and in schools we are witnessing the impact the crisis is having on those individuals. 0 Comments Comprehensive middle leader training for entire middle leadership teams is greatly valued by middle leaders and should be a priority for all schools. I welcomed each participant as they arrived and almost without exception they spoke of what they were hoping to get out of the workshop to take back to their school to support the wellbeing of their leadership teams, teachers and students. History; Liverpool; Contact us; Select Page. My article The Loneliness of the International School Leader from 2018, is by far my most read and commented upon post, striking a chord with school leaders around the world. The global pandemic brings anxiety for everyone at some level. I have coached many educators and leaders and have seen the benefits first hand. Isolation can crush school leaders during the best of times. However, school communities need to reflect on whether they are simply asking too much of their middle leaders, whose most important role, after all, is to look after the students in their care. In the short term it also makes leaders less effective in their roles, by impacting sleep and their ability to think clearly, problem solve and communicate well. Social connection should be viewed as a basic human need, vital to our short and long term health. document.write('