The head, heart, and hands of school leadership: Lessons in leadership from ESL teachers

Recently, I've been supporting teachers at a local high school in developing strategies for the inclusion of English as a Second Language (ESL) students in the school context. This week, I sat in on a department meeting of five ESL teachers in the school. It was a powerful reminder that we have amazing teachers supporting some of the most vulnerable and marginalized students.

The teachers represented the head, heart, and hands of leadership.

Source: https://www.livingcities.org/blog/727-head-heart-hands-a-framework-for-taking-action-on-racial-equity

Head: The teachers had excellent knowledge of their students. There are well over 100 ESL students in this school of 1,400. The teachers discussed them by name, pointing to specific areas of strength and need. They talked about how the students were performing in class. They discussed resources that could support learning. The teachers clearly knew the students and they knew their subject area.

Heart: I was struck by the extent of the conversations that revolved around the affective domain of learning (emotions, feelings, attitudes). The teachers talked about field trips to local theatre productions and to a local college to find out about alternative post-secondary pathways beyond university. They planned a fun night for the ESL students. They clearly cared for their students.

Hands: The teachers planned multiple support sessions for the students who are preparing for a major provincial literacy test. They did not just teach the student in a course but recognized the importance of more individualized support that would happen in tutoring sessions. They jumped in to help each other with planning events. They clearly were not afraid to get their hands dirty!

To me, these traits are not "just" about teaching; they are about leadership. The teachers are modelling the kinds of behaviours and characteristics that we want for these young Canadian and global citizens: to be engaged, to care, to work hard, to make a difference.

Real teachers making a real difference through their heads, hearts, and hands.