Inaugural Compassionate Leadership course a resounding success

For the first time, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) offered a Compassionate Leadership course, bringing together 53 teachers, school leaders and system leaders at Barnett House from July 2 to 4.

The course explored how compassion, kindness and vulnerability can foster collective wellness and resilience in schools. Its intent was to help participants lead with their heart and create positive change in their educational environments.

Lisa Everitt, ATA executive staff officer and organizer, called the inaugural course a clear success. “The feedback from the survey was incredible,” she said.

Participants especially valued sessions on the science of compassion, HEARTcare planning, appreciative inquiry and self-compassion. They also enjoyed time for both structured and informal conversations, such as “walk and learns.” One participant reflected, “[I] found the framework for having difficult conversations valuable…really enjoyed learning about the brain science ‘polyvagal theory’ and pain receptors with empathy.”

Everitt noted that the course comes at a critical time, saying that ongoing fiscal pressures, destructive policy choices and complex classrooms have created deep distress in the teaching profession. She added that research undertaken through the Compassion Fatigue, Emotional Labour and Educator Burnout project (and subsequent partnership with a SSHRC grant) demonstrates alarming levels of burnout, compassion stress and compassion fatigue in the teaching profession. 

“Rehumanizing schools and school systems so they work for both staff and students is a fundamental part of helping to fix this damage,” Everitt said. “My sense is that compassionate leadership is a potential solution for schools to thrive.”

Everitt observed that the only criticism from participants was that there wasn’t enough time for discussion, as some participants felt that more time to delve into conversations would have been beneficial.

Despite that, the response was overwhelmingly positive. As one participant summed up, “This course gives the tools to start the journey personally, professionally and even systematically, to begin the much-needed dialogue and shift in caring for school communities and, hopefully, a spread to the greater community over time and with continued practice.”

Everitt hopes to offer the course again next summer, with participant feedback helping organizers see where changes and improvements can be made and incorporated. 

“It was an awesome experience for everyone including the course facilitators. We are so glad to have had the opportunity to do this important work.”