Leading with Empathy and Purpose:

Key Lessons from 35 Weeks as a First-Year Assistant Principal

Step into leadership with heart and purpose through Wadadli Native’s blog series, "Leading with Empathy and Purpose: Key Lessons from 35 Weeks as a First-Year Assistant Principal." Discover real challenges, impactful insights, and practical strategies to balance work, build relationships, and create lasting impact. Subscribe now for weekly reflections that will inspire and empower your leadership journey!

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The Leadership Gap: Women of Color in K-12 Education

Despite making up a significant portion of the teaching workforce, women of color remain underrepresented in K-12 educational leadership roles. Women of color often face additional hurdles, including bias, limited mentorship opportunities, and systemic barriers to advancement.

Karima Hughes, M.Ed. 2/20/25 Karima Hughes, M.Ed. 2/20/25

Week 13: Take a Moment . . .

That same week, one of my staff members felt unwelcome and uncomfortable when another staff member dismissed their feedback on supporting student learning. I was asked to mediate a conversation using a restorative justice approach, designed to acknowledge hurt and repair the relationship so both could resume working together effectively.

While I was somewhat satisfied that both individuals shared the impact of their actions on each other, it was clear the person who caused the harm was still guarded. As an empathetic person, I wanted to ‘fix’ everything immediately. Yet I realized I couldn’t force the individual who felt victimized to simply feel better. Still, because I took time to plan, I was able to facilitate a mediation that avoided appearing biased toward one side.