I started my teaching career three decades back, when it was trivialised as a ‘behenji’ job or a job of convenience to the Indian housewife because of the timings and holidays. While this label continues, I see a shift in the way teachers are emerging as leaders in dynamic ways.
I am often surprised at my own evolution from a teacher to where I am today. As Director of Education at Silver Oaks International Schools, Vice-President of IB Heads Association of India & South Asia, Chairperson of Hyderabad Sahodaya, IB Workshop Leader, TEDx Speaker, Keynote speaker or as a Panelist at many conferences, I feel blessed for what my teaching career gave me. Back in 2007, I was the only educator who was in the top 5 leaders amongst 30K applications in the Lead India contest conducted by Times of India.
In retrospect, I feel that the exposure I got as an Airforce Officer’s wife taught me more than my college education. By travelling and living in different parts of the country, I had first-hand experience of the socio-cultural diversity and the impact of geographical contexts on matters and mindsets. Armed with this exposure and an inherent positive attitude, I found myself accepting different teaching roles across India. This gave me a 360 degree exposure to what lies in NCERT curriculum or what is expected of a student while giving Board exams. I have seen generations of parents, not just students across India.
In my case, the first 3 levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are abundantly met. My self-esteem needs come from a sense of security and belongingness and a great amount of self-efficacy due to my exposure and experience.
For me, my self-esteem needs are met when I respect myself, learn, read, listen, travel and stay fit. Having set my own bar high, I am a relentless learner and a hopeless optimist. For me, self-actualization is how useful I can be to the family, school and society.
I may be leading our schools as a Principal or Director Education but I look at myself as the Principal Learner amongst 6000 students and 500 teachers. As Director of Learning, I hold myself accountable to the learning of all these 6500 people. This designation assumed as responsibility makes me a constant learner.
Dr Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People have influenced me immensely in my personal and professional life. When in critical situations, I seek first to understand and then to be understood or I may think win win. In many ways, these habits make me effective and emotionally balanced.
In all my endeavours, I am very proactive but I always begin with an end in mind. In leadership roles, decision-making is where prudence and wisdom are needed. Careful considerations, calculated risks help in not just decision-making but facing the consequences of these decisions. These professional skills and composure helped me in my personal life too when I had to make decisions about my husband’s failing health or handle life after his demise. My personal life and professional life helped each other.
In school education, India has largest number of women as teachers. We continue to be a patriarchal society in spite of the western ways of living. Amidst home-making, raising children or meeting expectations of family, women have an in-built resilience both physically and emotionally. I am not sure if women recognize their multi-tasking abilities. There is a huge potential if they transfer these abilities to other areas of work instead of wallowing in self-pity or falling into victim complex. Many women are struggling to meet their self-esteem needs . Therefore, understanding the social and emotional needs/challenges of teachers is critical to my role.
Educational leadership has multiple connotations. For me, it is about having a macro and micro understanding of changing times, future of work and humanity and factor those into the curriculum framework. Training teachers to have an organic understanding of their role and ensuring that students deep dive into their learning environment is essential . Thanks to my experience and exposure to education systems within and outside India, they helped me develop a conviction with courage to write and develop science, math, social and language books for my schools.
Most of all, educational leadership is to make schools as a lighthouse to the society. It is not the exemplary results of my students but their responsible contributions to the society which inspire me to work. They saved, earned and donated 2 crores in the last 16 years for the education of less privileged.
Amidst home-making, raising children or meeting expectations of family, women have an in-built resilience both physically and emotionally.
