Teachers supporting teachers: Episode 2 with Jen Willis
Episode 2
Conversation with Jen Willis
Say hello to Jen Willis, the principal of the Daylesford Dharma School, a small independent school located in country Victoria, Australia. The Dharma School is an independent school based upon Buddhist philosophy currently with 38 students enrolled.
Jen introduces us to her why of being a teacher and principal. She shares that she loved learning but didn’t like school itself. After studying outdoor education, the love of being around young people lead her into classroom. And the rest is history having worked nationally and internationally within a variety of settings.
As Jen progressed through her teaching career she realized she has a unique strength of connecting with parents. I think you will love how she talks about the relationship with parents as a core to her work a leader within the school and wider community. As Jen shares she reveals how her strengths in communication, connecting and relationship deepening allows for her to care, consult, trust and enact being authentic and true to herself. As Jen talks about her approach to leadership in schools, she highlights for us that parents are also just as important to a school community as the young people are. One thing she shares is that she has realized that without parents choosing the school, there is no school; thus, illuminating relationships with the parents is important to enable that school to stay open. It is about the parents being a part of the school as well as the young people. We chat about this key relationship within education and how this is enacted and embodied at Daylesford Dharma School.
Jen illuminates that teachers are hope builders. In this episode we talk in depth about hope, and the place this strength and value has in the school community, how it addresses needs of all, and what the future can bring. Our theme of relationships emerges once more, and Jen shares how the everyday for a parent is sustained by hope – that they have hope in selecting the right school for their child, that every parent wants their child to be seen, known and understood. Jen talk us through how the Daylesford Dharma School focuses on relationships with the hope that all of their young people can be themselves, grow, flourish and build connections every day.
At this time of dynamic change, Jen and I talk about school closures during COVID-19. Jen talks openly about her decision as a principal to close the Daylesford Dharma School early as a principal to support distant socializing and isolation regulations. Her decision ahead of time before the government announced their decision involved watching, reading and seeking advice on multiple levels in partnership with reading the energy of the school community. The depth of thought and consideration is shared, and Jen highlights two key questions in this decision - how were the students, parents, and teachers all feeling? What is happening in the hearts and minds of people?
Taking care of yourself as future teachers has Jen and I talking about the place of boundaries and energetic space for the role you are undertaking at the time. Jen shares how as a teacher she enacted a practice that allowed her to move between being a teacher and parent herself. Highlighted is that when you leave school at the end of the day, have your next day planned, and when you leave, just leave. Never take work home. When you are home you are home and you invest in being present in the home and what comes with this. Prepare for teaching and learning in this space.
In this episode Jen shares her tips for job applications and the interview process, once more highlighting that relationships are vital. She notes:
When applying for a job make sure you research the school and you write to that school highlighting values, visions and their unique community. Be careful of the 'cut and paste’ and keeping in material that applies to another school, or having an application with information that is not relevant for the school you are applying for. This requires planning and a solid proof read before you press send.
As you write you application share what it is about you that makes you special. Sell yourself, not your degree. Share who you are. What has your life taught you in addition to your degree? Why are you hoping to join the school?
Send in an application that is authentic and deep, and that it showcases you to assist in developing a personal connection to the panel, your future colleagues. Show how you shine on and off the paper as this flows through to the interview as well.
As you showcase yourself in a job application and interview, think about your responses and be careful with the "jargon" you use. Jen advises it is better to unpack how you would respond to situations and share examples rather than to present theory.
Think outside the box and think about the unusual situations, and share strategies and approaches that truly comes from your heart not what you think a panel would like to hear. What can you do when things are a-typical? How can you shine?
Be open to having a laugh with the panel, show your personality as the interview is the space where you can see if you fit within the school, as much as is this the school seeking to see if you will fit. Again, relationships are highlighted here. Ask questions, about why the panel comes to work every day feeling excited and rewarded? Ask questions that are focused more about what the day will feel like with children? What opportunities there are to connect with parents? What support is there for your personal and professional growth?
Show a balanced approach with your own authentic self. You need to research the school, and the school will research you as well. What are you sharing on social media? What is open or private? What do you allow the world to see? Make sure the person you are is the person you show others.
And as the best advice ever received? Be yourself!
Enjoy this conversation between Jen and I.
Reflective questions to take away:
How are you a hope builder?
How do you invest in relationships across a school community? Leadership, peers, colleagues, students, parents/carers and wider school community? What does this look, feel and sound like for you?
How can you listen to the voices but also silences of others? What does this tell you?
What boundaries will you establish for yourself as an act of self-care to support how you approach all areas of your life?
How do you show your authentic self?
How invested are you in researching a school when applying for a job and discovering if this is the right place for you right now?
What questions would you ask at the end of your interview?
Links to follow up on: