Friends Council welcomes 12 new heads to the circle of Friends school heads as they embark upon their leadership positions in Friends education this year. As is tradition each year, we convened our New Heads Welcome Panel consisting of seasoned heads of school who share their own journey to leadership at their Friends school and offer guidance. This year’s virtual panel included Matt Bradley, Head of Friends School Mullica Hill, Brenda Crawley, Head of Plymouth Meeting Friends School, and Julia de la Torre, Head of Moorestown Friends School.

“We welcome you to this wonderful and supportive network of Friends school colleagues,” said Matt Bradley as he welcomed new heads to their new roles, to Friends Council and to their network of colleagues. New heads were then invited to share about themselves, their school, their path to headship and what work they had “left on their desk” in order to be at the gathering. 

In the process of sharing, heads returning to Quaker education expressed their appreciation of being reconnected with Friends Council. As a head entering his fourth headship and tenure at his third Quaker school, Andy Jones Wilkins, head of Greenwood Friends School, shared how thrilled he is to be back and engaged with Friends Council. Denis Bisgaard, Interim Head of Friends School of Baltimore, shared, “I really appreciate being back here. I think there are a lot of things in the DNA of Friends schools that can be beneficial to other places.”

Panelists were invited to reflect two queries: “As you came into your first year of headship, what is something that surprised you or wished you had known?” “What sustains you in the work?” Their advice and recommendations were plentiful. Here are a few:

• Sustaining oneself by visiting classrooms. “What sustains me is to go down and walk through the PMFS graveyard, Chestnut Hill  graveyard and go down and visit my young friends… all I need to do is get in some space with some young students,” shared Brenda Crawley. Julia De la Torre echoed the importance of making time to be around children. “I ask teachers to invite me to be in their classrooms either to observe or teach about something. Yesterday I was invited to 3rd grade to talk about our new playscape as the resident expert on play.”
• Drawing on other Friends school heads for advice and support.  “The collegiality between Friends school heads is a real thing,” says Crawley. “Being able to send an email or phone call with ‘help’ or ‘How are you doing, the water is deep where I am?’ has really helped sustain me.” 
• The surprise of the difference between people’s perception of you and your own perception of yourself. “I am the first woman head in the school’s history and the first person of color,” says de la Torre. “The fact that I was a woman and a person of color meant a lot to a lot of people and I am still unpacking that.”
• Stepping out (of the office) and carving time to be by oneself. For Matt Bradley that often means taking a walk in the woods.
• A weekly appointment or activity where you are not in charge. Matt Bradley shared, “I am not necessarily the best singer but Pendle Hill Chorus is something I joined. It’s enjoyable and I am not in charge!”
• Time with family