Leading Forward and Building a Leadership Legacy and so much more...

Howdy people, this week was one full of deep thinking and planning. I spent the earlier part of the week in meetings with my team about our upcoming events for the next academic year. Much like you might be doing in your schools, we are reflecting on the current academic year and making plans for the upcoming academic year. One of the highlights of the week was finalising the theme for the sixth annual Middle East School Leadership Conference (MESLC). I am happy to announce that the theme for #MESLC in Dubai on Jan 29-20, 2025, is Leading Forward: Building A Leadership Legacy.

This made me think about what it means for school leaders to lead forward. To me, leading forward means anticipating what's next and having the courage to act on it. Then, we have to consider how we build a leadership legacy. What happens when you leave a post? Do you just walk away and hope for the best, or do you intentionally build a leadership legacy? what do you consider when building a leadership legacy?

School leaders, when you leave a post, is the institution better or worse for you having been there?

How are you mentoring and developing your school's next batch of school leaders?

We will also be considering the following themes at the upcoming Middle East School Leadership Conference:

• Ethical School Leadership: How To Make Values-Aligned Decisions that Leave a Positive Legacy
• Inclusive Leadership: Creating a Legacy in Schools that Reflects True Diversity
• Mentorship, Coaching and Development: Empowering Future School Leaders
• Building a Lasting Impact: Crafting School Cultures, Values, and Structures that Outlive Tenures
• Life Beyond School Leadership: Navigating New Paths and Opportunities After Leading Schools
• Building an Anti-Fragile School: Strengthening Business Continuity and Resilience

Are you a senior school leader? Would you like to take part? Please apply to present here: https://schoolleadersme.com/call-for-presenters-2025/.

More Teach Middle East Events!

The Middle East Teaching and Learning Conference and Educators Welcome Reception: August 23, 2024 - www.meteachingandlearning.com

STEM MENA Conference and Awards 2024: November 9, 2024 - www.stemmena.com

Please look out for more updates on these events in the coming weeks, and remember not to miss any of our announcements by joining our mailing list here: https://teachmiddleeast.formaloo.me/newsletter

Teach Middle East Podcast Episode

On the latest Teach Middle East Podcast episode, I chatted with Al Kingsley on the following topic: Beyond the Buzzwords: How to Make EdTech Purposeful in Schools.

Please click this link to listen:

Are letters of application meaningless?

Kai Vacher and Mark Steed had a fascinating discussion on this topic recently on a podcast. See the link below. I think there is still a place for letters of application, but not the generic rubbish that we see most of the time or, worse still, not the garbage spat out by Chat GPT or any other large language models.

I think it is a space to show who you are and what unique gifts you bring to the school. I think the letter of application is not enough. It needs to be accompanied by other pieces of data which show who a candidate is and what they offer.

I enjoyed hearing about the idea of a blind application. This intrigued me as I think it might help to make the process a bit fairer. Please listen and let me know what you think.

Thank you for reading this week's newsletter. If you have read to the end, please comment 'Legacy' in the comments section below.

Here are a few more past podcast episodes you might want to listen to.

From Classroom Practice to Thought Leadership: Tom Sherrington's Journey

Vision and Legacy: Fiona Cottam's Educational Leadership Journey

See you all next week!