Some of the most influential work in education happens quietly.
It is found in the educator who notices that a child has withdrawn, the colleague who helps another teacher find confidence, and the school leader who creates a culture in which families feel heard.
Much of this work has been led by women, yet its impact is not always recognised as leadership.
Women’s Month gives us an opportunity not only to celebrate women in education but also to consider what their contribution can teach us.
For generations, women have advanced an understanding of education that is deeply relational: children learn best when they feel safe, known and valued; teachers grow when they are trusted and supported; and schools become stronger when families and communities are treated as partners.
These principles can sound gentle, but they demand decisive leadership. To listen carefully is not to avoid difficult decisions. To lead collaboratively is not to relinquish authority. Relational leadership requires the confidence to act, the humility to remain open to other perspectives and the courage to put a child’s needs at the centre, even when circumstances are complex.
For generations, women have advanced an understanding of education that is deeply relational.
— Nicola Crooks, educator
The history of early childhood education offers a powerful example. In the aftermath of World War 2, communities in and around Reggio Emilia in northern Italy helped establish schools intended to give children a more peaceful and democratic future.
Women were central to this effort. Their determination helped create the conditions in which educator Loris Malaguzzi and others later developed an approach grounded in listening, relationships, creativity and respect for children’s capabilities.
The significance of that story lies not in presenting one educational philosophy as a universal answer. It lies in recognising how change was made possible: a community identified what its children needed, women mobilised around a shared purpose, and educators built on the knowledge already present within families and the wider community. Leadership was collective rather than concentrated in one celebrated individual.
That lesson remains relevant. Schools today are navigating changing family needs, rapid technological development, greater awareness of neurodiversity and growing concern about children’s wellbeing.
No single policy, programme or person can respond to all of this alone. Strong leadership depends on creating the conditions in which educators share what they observe, families can contribute their knowledge of their children and different professional perspectives are welcomed.
SA has its own history of women using education to widen opportunity and strengthen society. Leaders such as Graça Machel, Mary Metcalfe and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka have advanced children’s rights, education reform and the empowerment of girls and women.
Alongside these prominent figures are thousands of teachers, principals, caregivers and community leaders whose contribution is less visible but no less important.
In schools across the country, women lead in communities marked by enormous diversity and, often, significant inequality. They adapt, advocate and build trust. They see potential where circumstances might otherwise impose limits.
Their work reminds us that leadership is not defined only by a title. It is also expressed in the expectations we hold for children, the support we give colleagues and the culture we create through hundreds of everyday choices.
In my own role, I see the value of this approach daily. The most effective educators do more than deliver a curriculum. They observe closely, ask thoughtful questions and adjust their practice to the child in front of them.
They understand that a child’s first experience of school shapes not only what that child learns but also whether they come to see themselves as capable, curious and worthy of being heard.
The same is true of how we lead adults. When teachers feel that their professional judgment is respected, they are more willing to reflect, experiment and learn from one another.
When families feel included rather than instructed, partnerships become stronger. Collaboration should not be treated as an additional initiative; it is part of the infrastructure of a healthy school.
As we celebrate Women’s Month, we should recognise both the women whose names appear in the history of education and those whose influence may never be formally recorded.
Their example challenges us to broaden our understanding of leadership. Strength can be expressed through empathy. Authority can make space for other voices. Lasting change is often built through relationships before it is captured in policy.
The question for education leaders is therefore not simply how we honour the women who came before us.
It is how we carry their most valuable lessons forward: listen with intention, lead with courage, trust in children’s capabilities and build schools in which every member of the community has a meaningful part to play.
- Crooks is head of early learning and the junior preparatory school at Reddam House, Helderfontein
