We were asked, after reading Module 3.1, to reflect on our previous experiences in change, leadership and school environments. I have been reflecting on this constantly while reading through the articles and module due to my circumstances. My school has just gone through an unprecedented change. This year we have a new principal, two new assistant principals, a new Head of Junior School and Head of Senior School as well as a new Kindergarten Director. Even the College Board had a massive turnover with five of the seven members retiring to be replaced with four new members.

Why the massive turnover? The situation is complex and there is no easy answer to that. The school has grown significantly (it has nearly quadrupled in size from when I started working there 17 years ago) and was struggling to transition in some areas from a small rural school to a larger nearly suburban school. I think there were difficulties arising from leadership styles that the pandemic exacerbated. An issue, I believe, was servant leadership but with insufficient direction, oversight, or accountability as the staff and student numbers grew. This caused the resignation/retirement of two leaders and a few board members. Aside from maternity leaves or family circumstances, the rest shifted into different positions within the school.

I think the transition has gone smoother for staff than I would have expected. I think the Vice Principal, who has now been elected as Principal, was already leading/supporting staff to such an extent that it has caused minimal interruption. He was replaced by two Assistant Principals, one who was already working in the school. The Head of Junior School was the only other new external hire and the Junior School staff were ready to welcome her with open arms.

We are only halfway through the school year so it is impossible at this point to see what the long-term outcome of the change will be. We have had an email letting us know that we will be completing a staff satisfaction survey (through an external company that deidentifies and collates the results) in an upcoming staff meeting. It will be very interesting to see if/how the results differ from previous years. I have noticed that the new principal has focused heavily on communication and reconciliation with coworkers, transparency and accountability, is consulting more staff in the hiring process, and asking staff for their visions for their area of responsibility.

My understanding of this experience has been very informed by this subject. I have noticed things such as the new Principal’s direction that I probably would have taken for granted before. I am appreciating the leadership more as I perceive their challenges and see where they are directing, motivating and enabling staff. I have expanded my vision for the library from promoting literacy and resourcing the curriculum to also promoting the school vision and thinking about how I can resource and support the leadership.