Republic of the Philippines
SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY
School of Graduate Studies
Sorsogon City
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EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Mid-Year Term, 2021-2022
GERRY S. DIGO, EdD, CESE
HILGER OJOS TARRAYA
NARRATIVE ESSAY
July 3, 2022
TEACHERS AS SERVANT LEADERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The occurrence of the global
pandemic brought by COVID-19 has
set high expectations for leaders
across levels of disciplines and
prompted
them
to
enforce
extraordinary measures. Although
unprecedented, this does not absolve
leaders of the consequences of their
decisions and actions. It might have
been easier for the critics and
spectators not to be in the position of
accountability, but true enough,
leadership is tested during difficult
Figure 1. Monitoring learners' progress.
times. School leaders and teachers
were not exempted. The COVID-19 response of schools had put school leaders and teachers in
the spotlight. Much has been said and shown to the public about the sacrifices and hard work of
teachers to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on education. However, what did really happen
in the school and in their lives as they navigate their way through this pandemic? This piece
highlights the roles of teachers and reflects school leadership in pursuing to continue education
amidst challenges brought by the pandemic.
“When you decide to serve others as a leader, the team’s success becomes your
success.” I couldn’t agree more with this principle of servant leadership by John Maxwell. A
servant leader’s focus is on serving others rather than serving themselves or being served by
others. A servant leader meets people where they are at so they can climb to the top alongside
them rather than charging ahead. Maxwell wrote that his shift into a servant-leadership role
happened when “[he] started to change his leadership focus to empowering others to do what
[he] was doing.” Thus, creating more leaders rather than mere followers. Mark Cole, CEO of John
Maxwell’s companies, describes servant leadership as “servanthood is about attitude”. Unlike
other styles of leadership, servant leadership cannot be embodied without shifting one’s
perspective and attitude from being self-centered to selfless service. Teachers’ service and
character are the best models of servant leadership.
How can we better serve others? Determining the exact answers to this question is
difficult. But we can start with knowing who and reflecting on the needs of our team and
beneficiaries (reflect), learning how to immerse ourselves with others (engage), and working on
habits that lead to servanthood (act).
Reflect. Like many other schools, our school
needs various resources to continue delivering
its services to learners and the community. We
are fortunate that despite the limited school
resources we were able to utilize local funds
appropriately without relying on the financial
assistance of stakeholders who are also in need
of support during the pandemic. Sometimes, the
gravity of circumstances results in confusion
about what really matters. Reflecting on what the
school and learners really need determines
priority improvement areas. Hence, starting from
allocating resources to implementing activities
and services considering their welfare is
necessary. Also, determining the priority tasks
Figure 2. Focus group discussion on learners' performance
eased the workload intensification. Teachers’
and priority needs.
responsibilities increased because of the
multiple learning delivery modalities implemented by the school, implementation of health and
safety protocols, and adjustments to alternative work arrangements.
Engage. Spending time with
people does not only show the desire to
serve them but also establishes a
connection with them. So, a leader will
know how to serve them well. Although
social interaction is restricted, this
should not hinder the communication
and collaboration between the school
and learners and among school
personnel. Maintaining connection is
necessary to ensure continuous and
smooth delivery of services. This also
prevents
conflicts
and
misunderstandings
regarding
the Figure 3. Conference with stakeholders.
policies implemented by the school. Listening and recognizing the diversity of ideas is necessary
to improve services and overall performance.
Figure 4. Enrichment classes in Community Learning Centers.
Act. Serving others, especially the learners and
community starts with small acts of kindness and
making it a habit creates a positive impact.
Beyond compliance with the mandates of the
department,
putting
extra
efforts
and
commitment into delivering the best possible
services despite the challenges increases trust
and overall productivity. The “behind the scenes”
struggles are as just as important as the
outcome; the rationale for every decision,
especially the unpopular ones, which may or may not be understood by many; maintaining a calm
demeanor in dealing with difficult people and situations; and sacrificing own comfort and
convenience for the benefit of the majority are only a few of the silent acts of a servant leader in
safeguarding the welfare of learners and school personnel.
Experience taught me that servant leadership requires humility. It includes recognizing the
limitations of my strengths and accepting that I do not have all the solutions to the problems of
the organization, but I can leverage my team members’ individual strengths to balance my
weaknesses. Hence, servant leadership is also about shared responsibility, creating a culture of
trust in the team, empowering others to be leaders, and having an unselfish mindset. Being a
leader has its ups and downs, but to deliver, your own expectations of yourself must always be
higher than the set of expectations of other people. At times you may not fully deliver, but what
matters is you serve with all your heart and all the best you can with the resources that you have,
and you treat people with kindness and respect.
Figure 1. The Louella Gotladera Alcoba NHS Teaching and Non-Teaching Personnel with the PSDS.