with Audrey May

We were delighted to welcome Audrey May, Interim Executive Director for Children and Families, Dundee City Council, as a seminar guest recently.

One of Audrey’s first teaching roles was in a Marist secondary school, where the underlying ethos was that to teach children, you had to love them first; and to love them, you had to treat them all equally. Audrey spoke of how this ethos influenced her teaching and her view of equality and equity, as some children needed more love than others. She explained that she learned that it was important to treat children in the way that they needed, to support them to reach their full potential. She believes that education is a route out of poverty and that we have a responsibility as teachers to improve the outcomes and lives of the learners in our care.

Audrey discussed how values-based leadership is a cornerstone of her practice, and how being listened to and valued, no matter what your role in an organisation, influences this. She spoke of her long teaching career and the values with which she has always approached the various roles that she has undertaken, viewing leadership of schools and education settings as being a privilege. Leading with your core values requires you to have humility and to recognise that you will always have things to learn. It is also about recognising those who saw your potential and helped you along the way and ensuring that you recognise this in others. Audrey also talked about how she has been inspired by pupils and colleagues throughout her career.

This blog began with discussion of teaching with love, and it will end in a similar way. Audrey shared a lovely anecdote of how P1 pupils in a school where she was Headteacher told the incoming P1 children through a display about the various staff members and their roles, commenting ‘This is Mrs May. She is our Headteacher and she loves us.’ A great example of values-based leadership in action.

Blog post written by Dr Seemab Farooqi and Di Cantali