Hello Good People!

This article is an exercise that I undertook early in my coursework for the doctorate of International Educational Leadership and Policy program. The exercise was to examine a concept in the literature and attempt to apply it to my current research interests. At the time, my thesis topic was: How positive teacher culture affects organizational culture during seasons of growth.

Intersectionality 

Intersectionality (Bešić, 2020; Roberts & Yu, 2018) is a concept which can be applied to help me understand my thesis topic. Intersectionality asserts that many forms of discrimination can be experienced simultaneously by one individual. This applies to my thesis because it is essential to understand that every individual is different. Each having their own strengths, weaknesses, struggles, and scars. In order to create or improve positive teacher culture, leaders need to walk a mile in their teachers’ shoes in order to know what types of discrimination or other burdens they may be experiencing as a result of education or organisational policy which proliferates the agendas of power (Menashy & Manion, 2022). In addition, leaders should be open to learning from experts beyond their own background and seeking feedback from those they are leading related to whether or not they’re unintentionally proliferating discrimination. 

Reflection

Feel free to take a moment to consider the following reflection questions. 

1. What wisdom do you have to share about how to unpack your colleagues’ struggles in a safe way? 
2. What do you recommend in order to lead people well when their struggles can’t be immediately solved/ helped by you? 

Feel free to share your thoughts and reflections in the comments below. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. It was a pleasure spending time with you today. 

Peace & Blessings, 

– Josiah

References

Bešić, E. (2020). Intersectionality: A pathway towards inclusive education?. Prospects, 49(3), 111-122.

Menashy, F., & Manion, C. C. (2022). The Political Economy of Global Education Policy 1. In Handbook of Critical Approaches to Politics and Policy of Education (pp. 79-90).

Routledge.Robert, S. A., & Yu, M. (2018). Intersectionality in transnational education policy research. Review of Research in Education, 42(1), 93-121.