Confident Humility

By Africa Jones

“What we need in leaders is not confidence, but confident humility. It’s being secure enough in your ignorance and secure enough in your strengths to acknowledge your weaknesses” - Adam Grant.

It’s the summer of 2022 and in just a few short weeks, we’ll be going back to school. Currently, my school is not fully staffed and frankly, I’m not certain we will be by the first day of school. We were in a similar situation this time last year, but eventually we got there. Eventually, they came. Teachers from all walks of life. Some new to teaching, some transitioning from other schools, and some hopeful this would be their last stop before retirement. As educators across the country experience this ‘Great Resignation/Great Transition’, many of us are facing that same reality again this year. Transitions can be scary. Teachers may very well be walking into this year as nervous as the children they serve. Unsure of themselves, unsure of the environment they are walking into, and unsure they have what it takes to do the job well. I certainly feel it. Do you? Each time I sit across the desk from a teacher leader during our coaching observation and feedback meetings, I get butterflies in my stomach. I say a prayer and take a deep breath to calm my nerves and bring me back to center. I get

nervous thinking about how the conversations might go. How will they receive the feedback I have to offer? What if they don’t agree? How do I protect and honor their feelings while giving authentic and helpful feedback? What if I don’t know what to say?

Guess what? I don’t have to.

Here are 4 things I’m learning to lean into to remind myself I don’t have to have all the answers:

1.) Talk Less, Smile More - Leading with thoughtful questions and allowing reflection can catalyze amazing illumination. Often teachers come up with their own assessment and answers if given the opportunity to ponder. Productive struggle is as good for teachers as it is for students.

2.) Remember When - It is always useful to remember when I was a teacher in the classroom. What was it like my first, second, or seventh year? What was my level of skill or capacity? Although my experience may not be identical to someone else’s, it is helpful for me to empathize with where they might be.

3.) We’re all Learners - Education by definition is a process of instruction. If we’re in education but not willing to learn at any level, we are bound to become stagnant and dull. Effective leaders learn with other leaders. I am always learning from something teachers did or said, or even something students did that is new to me. Having a growth mindset is the most important part of the education process.

4.) I’m a Novice at Best - “There’s a desperate need to figure out how to best serve students and a humility that comes with knowing you do not have all the answers” (The Novice Advantage, Jon Eckert). I know full well that I do not have the solution to every teacher’s struggle or the magic bullet to their every dilemma, but what I do have is the willingness to come alongside them to work toward improving their practice to impact student learning. Cultivating the work of learning together is the gift of coaching and feedback. The interdependency makes the work less about me and more about the collective work of seeing students (and leaders) thrive.

When we get back into school buildings this fall, teachers, students, and administrators alike will all be figuring it out. As instructional leaders, we want to lead with confidence and as my mentor always says, competence produces confidence! Some things experience has taught me, and others I am still learning along the way. I hope to grow more in confident humility with each new day.

Africa Jones serves as an elementary principal at The City School in Philadelphia, PA where she leads a dedicated team of educators who are committed to see children flourish, especially in an urban Christian school environment. Africa received a Master's Degree in Education from Eastern University and a second Master's from Baylor University School of Education and has been a teacher and administrator for over 10 years. She is married to her husband Dwight and together they have 4 children.

Twitter: @AfricaJones6

Instagram: Iam_AfricaJones