Building resilient school communities
9 September 2020
The Metro South Education District (MSED) celebrated women as part of Women's Month and invited three phenomenal women school leaders to share how they are building resilient school communities.
Sharon Lewin of MSED facilitated the discussion with Landie Diamond of Westlake Primary, Nicole Frank of Constantia Primary and Moipone Sam of Intsebenziswano Secondary School, during which they talked about their leadership journey and personal wellbeing. They also imparted ideas to empower and inspire others.
Faldiela Chotia, Thandi Jafta and Warda Martin-Conrad co-hosted the webinar with colleagues providing technical back-up.
In his welcoming remarks, MSED Director, Granville Stander, paid tribute to the many strong, inspirational women who work with him in the district.
Sam said the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for education leaders to have digital skills as well as values like honesty and integrity. “As a leader, you have to admit your mistakes, take responsibility for them and learn from those mistakes.” She added that principals should empower their teams so that they can delegate tasks with confidence in their staff members’ abilities. Communication, collaboration and confidence were also identified as important skills.
Diamond said as education leaders adapt to situations, they have to strike a balance between crisis management and adapting to contingent leadership. Frank said leaders should have the skill to reflect, manage people and listen. “Maybe you won’t be able to always make everyone happy but what is important is to make people feel heard and listened to, and then explain to them why you might not be able to accommodate them.
A recording of the webinar is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV2dBLbvICk