ABSTRACT
Alison MacDonald had been a teacher in her small northern community for many years. Her community has struggled with the long-term impact of residential schooling 1 – racism, unemployment, poverty and abuse. She has regularly taken in foster children and she has provided the kind of constant love and support in her primary classroom that many families struggled to provide at home. She has used her own resources to help students continue their education after graduation. She has developed and maintains lifetime friendships with her students and their families. The community respect Alison for her commitment to quality learning and they value the opportunities she provides for seniors to share their experiences and knowledge with her young
learners. As part of the school science programme, her learners have developed knowledge about local plants, herbs and wildlife from elders. She has also championed the arts at Evergreen School and, as a result, every year her learners have the opportunity to incorporate visual and performing arts into a school opera. When the headship became vacant in her school, Alison was reluctant to apply. Her plate was already full with her work as a teacher leader within the union, her work as a literacy coach and her countless hours of volunteer work outside of school. Nevertheless, she had seen the impact of school leaders who sincerely believed in the potential of vulnerable learners and she knew all too well the negative effect of leaders who saw only limitations and obstacles. Finally, with the urging of her teacher colleagues, Alison applied. At first tentative in this new role, she soon became a passionately committed and effective leader.
