We talk a lot today about student voice, about engagement and ownership but too often those are waiting room conversations marked by abstractions of aspirations, intentions and imperatives. So, this month I want to explore student voice, what it sounds and looks like and how it is impacted by the behaviours of their teachers and leaders and the culture and the systems that enrich or diminish them.

"An Oasis in the Pink City" is a school success story that is all heart. Read on to learn about a principal who demonstrates robust, adaptive & empathetic leadership by empowering her school community.

I was reviewing a K-12 school, no shoes, only sandals with trousers ready to roll up and trying to keep clear of the downpour. Most of the corridors were enclosed so I didn't have to worry about anything other than misted windows and humidity. But at the end of the 2nd floor corridor was an open stairway. Since the rain had stopped, I decided to take the stairs. Halfway down, I slipped on the water lying on a step and only just saved myself. When later that day I went to check out the medical room, I asked for the accident report book. When I sat down and went through it page by page I found three entries of students having fallen on that staircase over the past couple of months. I congratulated the school nurse for her diligence in recording accidents. I then asked her, "Does anyone ever ask to see the accident book?” The answer was "No!"

Which is the handle that is turned least often by schoolleaders? That’s right. It’s the one attached to the classroom door.

Why is it that Learning Walks have been integral to every one of over 1800 Adhyayan School Reviews we have led since 2012? And why is it that each day’s walk begins and ends at the school gates? My personal tally of reviews, which is now in the hundreds, combined with my evidence accrued from leading 5 schools, three in Europe and two in India, has convinced me that my learning walks are invaluable in helping me take the daily temperature of the school’s health and in confirming the culture of its community.