“We must learn to not only read the word but to read the world.” – Paulo Freire
As school leaders, we know how to read the word. We sift through performance reports, analyse assessment data, pore over strategic plans, and decode policy documents. We interpret agendas, track actions, and read between the lines of emails and meeting notes.
But how often do we stop and ask: Are we reading the world?
Brazilian educator Paulo Freire reminds us that true literacy goes beyond text. It means learning to interpret the realities that shape our schools, the lives our students lead, the beliefs our staff carry, the culture that lives between lessons and lunchrooms. Reading the world means seeing clearly what is happening around us and leading with that awareness.
Context is the Compass
Every school lives in a wider social, political, and cultural world. When leaders ignore that context, we risk making plans that look good on paper but fall flat in practice. Reading the world pushes us to ask better questions:
- What’s shaping our students’ realities outside the classroom?
- Are our policies supporting or sidelining those who need the most?
- Who benefits from our systems and who is left out?
Context sharpens leadership. It stops us from importing generic solutions and prompts us to design with care, grounded in the real lives of those we serve.
Beyond Technical Work to Moral Leadership
Leadership often demands technical tasks, including staffing, budgeting, and reporting. But reading the world calls us to go deeper. Freire’s challenge is to lead with purpose, not just process. When we really read what’s around us, we begin to notice:
- Who isn’t speaking in meetings
- Which students are falling through the cracks
- What assumptions shape our day-to-day decisions
This awareness isn’t abstract. It demands action. It asks us to shift from managing behaviour to nurturing belonging. From tracking data to changing the systems that produce the same gaps again and again.
Strategic Empathy and Listening
Reading the world also changes how we listen. It requires empathy not as a soft skill, but as a strategic one. Listening becomes more than hearing responses. It means tuning into silence, curiosity, and emotion. It means:
- Pausing to ask, “What’s really going on here?”
- Holding space for discomfort and disagreement
- Leading with the courage to be changed by what we learn
When people feel seen, they trust more deeply. And in schools, trust is the soil where change takes root.
Why It Matters Now
Our job is not just to help students read novels or solve equations. It is to help them make sense of the world they live in and feel capable of changing it. That starts with us. If we can’t read the world, we can’t lead in it. And if we don’t lead with purpose, someone else will shape that world for us.
So as we look ahead, let’s hold Freire’s words close. Let’s lead with clarity, compassion, and the courage to act. Let’s read the world and respond with purpose.
Reading the world means asking not just “What’s working?” but “Who is it working for?”
From Technical Management to Moral Purpose
Much of the work of school leadership is technical, focusing on budgets, assessments, and staffing. But Freire urges us to lead with moral clarity. When we read the world, we begin to see inequities. We notice patterns of exclusion. We recognise which voices are missing. And that awareness demands action.
We move from maintaining systems to transforming them. From managing behaviour to fostering belonging. From reporting on progress to addressing the conditions that limit it.
A Leader’s Literacy: Dialogue, Empathy, Awareness
Reading the world also requires a different kind of listening. It means tuning into what’s not being said in staff meetings. It means being curious, not certain. It means creating space for dialogue, not just discussion. This is not soft leadership, but rather it’s strategic empathy. Because when people feel seen and understood, they commit more fully.
Leading Schools that Make a Difference
Our role is not just to help young people read texts, solve equations, or pass exams. Our role is to help them read the world and feel empowered to change it. That starts with us. If we cannot read the world we lead in, we cannot shape it. And if we don’t shape it, someone else will.
So as we plan for the next part of our school year, let’s stay focused on what matters most. Not just reading the word. But reading the world. With clarity, compassion, and the courage to act.
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