I have been lucky to be involved in education for 25 years. Since 2011, I have led two very diverse primary schools in Ōtautahi | Canterbury. During this time I have worked with some great and inspiring leaders and also with people who are not!
Principalship is a great vocation however when you actually take that leap into a leadership role in education it can be overwhelming.
One of the complexities is the number of stakeholders you are expected to manage and while most of us develop strong collegial support from our peers, it can be a very lonely gig. Everyone is ultimately looking to you for the answers!
I see a real opportunity based on my own experience to grow and develop the capability of leaders not only in schools but also in other organisations. I also have a passion to inspire people who have a genuine desire to have a leadership role in the future.
Ultimately we must sustain, invest in and grow the capacity of leaders in roles now, but also in the future.
My greatest career learning (and highlight) has been in a role I took on in 2015 as Foundation Principal of a brand new school. Te Uru Tarata | Lemonwood Grove School is a state of the art facility which was mandated to change the way the New Zealand curriculum outcomes are taught. I am proud of the fact that over time we became a role model for other educational institutions.
My first year was all about the infrastructure – supervising the project management team and ensuring the overall infrastructure would support the environment we needed to deliver education in a new way.
Then came developing the curriculum framework and ensuring this brave new world would deliver what our learners needed and that we had evidence to convince our school community (and board) that the methodology/approach was sound.
The next phase was developing a team of educators and support people who understood, believed in and were passionate about the new way we would deliver the curriculum.
Finally came the learners and their whānau – slowly at first but then the numbers increased and along the way each and every one of them had to hear about and understand the vision. Phew!
Five years later, I have handed over the leadership of this fantastic learning environment and I leave knowing we have been successful and the team I leave behind have the tools to continue to develop and grow.
So now where? Well, I am happy to report that I am now fulfilling a long-held desire to share what I have learnt along with the way and coach others in this very unique leadership platform.
Now it’s my turn to give back to other sectors in our country. My goal is to support effective leadership outcomes based on a practically focussed framework and assist organisations and the Ministry of Education with leadership development of current and future leaders.
Methods of communication:
- Timetabled Google Chat & Zoom meeting
- Timetabled Face to Face meetings
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