Home-sweet-school : insights from school leaders on leading from home during the pandemic

Abstract

Given the foundational connection of theory to autobiography, this chapter is intentionally rooted in the experiences of the authors. Within the academic and professional realm, the roles of authors and researchers involve supervising teaching practice visits in schools. Throughout these experiences, a recurring observation is the prioritisation by School Leadership Teams (SL Ts) of the emotional dimensions of schooling, particularly the cultivation of feelings of safety and security, over the academic and practical facets of school life. This prioritisation, often highlighted by the school leaders in their schools' mission statements, manifests their efforts to establish the school as a second home for students. [excerpt]