It’s Not in the Job Description - Meet the Moment, April 17, 2022

Last week, our board had their first in-person meeting in two years. They spent some of their time sharing about the way their schools were feeling the impact of faculty transitions. ​During the conversation, we realized that Academic Leaders have a role to play in supporting and sustaining the trusting relationships between students and faculty of color.

​It is important for Academic Leaders to understand all the roles a departing faculty member filled in the life of the school and understand the gaps that will result. It’s best to actually tally these up. Filling them may not be easy. 

For students whose identity is not the dominant one at school, teachers serve a critical role. Naa-Adei Kotey, Academic Dean at St. Paul's School for Girls, said explicitly what all of us know implicitly, that “faculty of color often become mentors and develop systems of support for students of color and their families. At times, depending on their seniority, they fill that role for other faculty, particularly those newer in their careers or new to the school. Losing such faculty often has far reaching consequences that a school may not initially recognize, especially if these things aren't factored into their "contracted duties." 

The relationships students build with faculty foster self-confidence, maturity, and, perhaps, a sense of connectedness and safety. When faculty are generous with their passions and interests, students benefit and grow in wonderful ways. These individual faculty gifts become embedded in the fabric of a student’s school experience. 

The challenge for Academic Leaders is to understand that a faculty departure can disrupt these seemingly peripheral student supports that are actually essential to students’ well-being. Recreating them can be a real challenge if it doesn’t emerge authentically. It is easy to replace all of the activities that a faculty member may cover in a job description; it’s less easy to even describe the significance of the relationships faculty build with students. It’s crucial that kids who feel the need to connect with an adult have the forum for doing so. In parallel with the posted job descriptions and “other duties as assigned,” Academic Leaders must prioritize filling the mentorship gaps left behind so that every student can find a place of belonging.