Those in positions of power need to consistently listen to students in order to build an ecosystem for authentic student leadership. This includes listening to the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable truths that students may share with us as their teachers, parents, staff, and administrators. Students who feel seen, heard, and valued are better able to thrive in our classrooms, schools, and ultimately as critical thinkers who learn to advocate for themselves and others beyond the walls of a school. It is the responsibility of educators in the context of the world today to be prepared with the tools and the skills in order to facilitate critical thinking on issues of identity and bias, not only in schools but in the community and world. In the words of one student at Daegu International School (DIS) in South Korea,
“We are here to learn. We need our teachers to have the skills to navigate issues of diversity and equity in their classrooms on a daily basis. We trust that our teachers will be the ones to carry the burden of leading hard conversations, interrupting bias, and teaching us to think critically about issues of power, privilege, and identity so this doesn’t fall on us alone.”
- Selina, Grade 11
Educational Equity Consultant, Jessica Wei Huang, and Daegu International School Secondary Principal, Courtney Cameron, both share a commitment to ensuring students are central to any work on identity or belonging within schools. Jessica and Courtney began working together in the fall of 2021 as part of a multi-year effort to engage cohorts of teachers in meaningful dialogue and training on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). As educators, a common thread they share is promoting and centering student voices in school communities as a fundamental component of a healthy student leadership ecosystem.
Teacher Leadership
Teacher leadership and agency are so important when sustaining a culture where the concepts of DEIB can thrive. Research shows that teacher collective efficacy is the number one thing that drives positive change in student learning experience. It’s hard to do something on your own, even when you believe it's the right thing to do. It’s much easier to build momentum and a sense of community and collaboration when you know you are not the only one making the effort. Throughout the last three years of DEIB work at DIS, Courtney built teacher agency and efficacy through a collaborative teacher leadership model. Cohort one launched in the fall of 2022 and cohort two in 2023. Through these smaller teams of teachers, safety to build bravery was seeded and planted. Teachers were able to do the internal work needed in order to translate action into the classroom and student leadership spaces. Below is one reflection from a teacher leader from cohort one.
“I have conducted several focus groups with student groups over the past two years. These discussions not only taught me about student identity, but the students themselves gained invaluable understanding about themselves. My relationships with students grew deeper and more authentic. My students have been inspired to write articles about inclusivity, tokenism, discrimination, gender, LGBTQ+ rights in Korea, and a multitude of other topics that lead to critical thinking about human rights and individuality.”
- Jefferson Lipsky (Teacher leader)
“I continue to challenge myself to think reflectively to better support my students and to ensure student voice is involved so that their experience can be shaped by their thoughts/ideas. I am also more aware of how important it is to listen mindfully to students and also to colleagues.”
- Teacher Leader
As evident in the teachers’ reflections above, the process of building authentic connections with students is not just about the relationships building process. Students feel heard and valued and begin to build a deeper sense of who they are and what they value as they are given space to reflect and discuss, oftentimes delving into difficult and nuanced topics around identity and power with their peers. Teachers build a stronger sense of understanding student lived experience and can therefore craft learning experiences to be more culturally sustaining and relevant to student lives.
Student Leadership
Student voice is the fulcrum of accountability within school communities. Listening is hard. Actions are harder. Students hold us accountable for our actions through honest dialogue. For educators to be ready to give students increased voice within school settings they need to be prepared. In regular virtual meetings over the course of the school year Jessica expertly guided DIS cohorts one and two through how to use protocols for student focus groups, identifying biases, understanding layers of power and privilege, and creating listening circles. Modeling the use of tools and protocols to teachers helped to create sustainable change by causing a ripple impact among colleagues and administrators. Protocols and facilitation skills were practiced between teachers so they could then be used in classrooms, with student-led clubs, and after school activities. Students benefit when teachers actively work to improve their own skills for listening, reviewing curriculum for bias, and leaning into challenging topics rather than skimming over or avoiding discomfort.
After a facilitated student panel where our students shared personal stories about experiencing identity-based harm, we experienced a shift in why and how we listen to students. Teachers realized the impact of not addressing microaggressions, what it means to be the only one of any specific identity, and how much representation matters in classroom curriculum. Ultimately, they taught us, their teachers and leaders, how we can do better. We were moved to act simply by listening to students share why it is important to feel seen in order for them to feel safe and open to learning in our classrooms.
“Facilitating students’ visions and helping them come to life tells us that our efforts to bring change are heard, understood, and valued. It brings confidence and trust in the power our voices hold. It brings bravery that when we speak someone will hear us. It brings weight to our words, no longer meaningless but valued equally.”
- Student Leader, Grade 11
Listening must be followed by meaningful ways to take action. When female students at DIS came forward with an idea to make menstruation products available in bathrooms, it stemmed out of a desire to destigmatize menstruation. The student group made products available in the bathroom, when and where they needed them, rather than sending students to the nurse for a non-medical need. Students took ownership of the entire Menstruation Station project, from ordering the supplies to stocking the stations to educating our school community about the needs of girls around the world. When a new sexual health program was introduced, these same students led conversations with upper elementary students that were only possible due to their involvement in this project. What started as a simple request required listening, clarifying the need, identifying funding, time, and the openness to letting students lead a project that has brought changes far beyond our school’s walls.
As DIS moves forward with the focus on student leadership, there is an opportunity to build on the energy of our students. Going where there is energy is a key component of sustaining a healthy ecosystem for student leadership. The more students lead by educators sharing power and decision-making authority, the more ownership they develop, and the more sustaining this change becomes in a school community.
Where You Can Start
Any international school educator can start to create space to center student voice and teacher leadership in DEIB. To start with, the biggest barrier is often our mindset about feedback. When we hear critical feedback about our school, do we see it as a gift or as a criticism of ourselves? It’s easy to take things personally, thinking thoughts like, “But we did that…” or “They are just one person that experienced that…” But it takes a mindset shift to start to believe, “If we all work together, this space can be inclusive of everyone...” or “What is my role in supporting young people to feel heard and valued?”
Secondly, if we assume an abundance mindset, we can start to dismantle the ideas about scarcity that we have been taught. Power is not a zero-sum game. We don’t empower others by taking power away from the people that have it. In fact, empowering youth and others in our school communities, is a sign of being comfortable with letting go and opening the door to new ideas. Read more here about the difference between Power Over and Power With. This in turn can help leaders be more confident and assured that leadership is not about control or having all the answers, but knowing that in fact, it's impossible for a small group of people with limited experience to be able to solve all the issues in a diverse school community.
Lastly, going to the margins of a community is where we can become learners ourselves. Really listening to the experience of students and families on the margins supports the growth of everyone. In the words of Father Greg Boyle, “We don’t go to the margins to fix people, we go to the margins to be healed ourselves.” This school year, may we all be brave enough to go to the margins to be able to heal ourselves and our communities.
Jessica Wei Huang is an educator and school leader with over 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher, school administrator, and leadership coach/facilitator. She has a wide range of knowledge for how to build equitable school communities through her on-the-ground work in schools and her support and coaching of educator leaders and teams. Jessica believes in building healing-centered, student-focused spaces where students of all backgrounds can thrive. Her experience in both the public school system in the United States of America and in international schools equips her to lead in a wide-variety of cultural-contexts. Jessica leads and facilitates through a lens of equity, inclusion, and justice. She currently lives in San Francisco with her family and two Taiwanese mountain dogs.
Courtney Cameron is a lifelong educator who believes that meaningful instructional changes begin with recognizing the unique assets and potential of every student and teacher. Over the past seven years she has worked internationally, most recently serving as the Secondary Principal at Daegu International School in South Korea. In the fall of 2024, she will transition to a new role in Taipei, Taiwan. Courtney employs a personalized coaching approach focused on students, aiming to maximize positive impacts on learning and wellbeing while enhancing teacher capacity. She values regular reflection, collaboration, and the power of student voice to continually inform and improve educational practices.
