Senior administrators exemplary role models in education sector
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard girls say ‘I’m not smart enough or good enough’ during my 21 years in education,” says Joumana Tawil, superintendent of education of the Windsor-essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB).
“The biggest piece of advice that I would give to young women who aspire to leadership roles is to have confidence in yourself.”
She adds: “It’s not about being the smartest person in the room or how other people in the room perceive you – it’s about how you perceive yourself. Believe in yourself. Know you can step outside your comfort zone and be okay, make mistakes and learn from them – and persevere.”
These are lessons Tawil has learned and lives by. Starting her career as a classroom teacher and then advancing to become a school principal today, Tawil numbers among six women holding the top nine administrative positions in WECDSB.
On International Women’s Day, the school board honours these exemplary role models in the education sector who have demonstrated through their careers that senior leadership positions are attainable for women.
Rosemary Lo Faso, superintendent of education, and Emelda Byrne, associate director of education, followed a similar career path as Tawil. Through their individual portfolios, the three women have shaped the way curriculum is delivered and, as a result, have impacted the education and lives of thousands of students in their community.
Completing the female half-dozen leading the school board are: Penny King, executive superintendent of business; Colleen Norris, superintendent of human resources; and Melissa Farrand, superintendent of education.
“I grew up with the term ‘glass ceiling ’ – where women can see where they want to go but have no way to get there,” Lo Faso says. “Girls today need to see themselves there and know they can reach it.”
The school board prides itself on its innovative programs taught in its elementary and high schools.
“Last year, we focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programming with an emphasis on girls because those subjects are male-dominated,” Lo Faso says.
Lightbulbs can be seen going off in the minds of young people whenever teachers bring in female role models working as STEM professionals to speak with students. WECDSB also partners with St. Clair College with Women in Trades and with University of Windsor with Women in Science. The change in mindset “takes time to cultivate but I think we’re doing a good job. We’re seeing more girls getting excited about STEM,” a skill set sought by many employers, Lo Faso says.
“STEM programming has now expanded to include our elementary schools,” Byrne says. “Students in Grade 1 are programming Beebots while older students are learning more advanced coding with more technical robots.”
In an inclusive environment, “we introduce girls to career options they may not know exist,” Tawil says. Striving to “spark their interest in a variety of sectors, we want them to be confident in choosing paths that are right for them.”
Students are taught there is much work yet to be done regarding equality, “like our wage gap that exists today in Canada,” Lo Faso says. “We have conversations with students so they become motivated and engage in these issues. We want girls to see themselves as changemakers.”
The school community is upholding the International Women’s Day 2021 campaign theme, #Choosetochallenge, calling out gender bias and inequality and helping create an inclusive world.
“What does choose to challenge really mean? It is to choose to seek opportunities,” says Byrne, adding it is an encouragement for females to “believe in themselves and have courage to seek learning opportunities, and to identify and celebrate achievements along the way. Even small steps need to be celebrated.”
Like Lo Faso and Tawil, Byrne feels supported by her husband and children. Her 89-year-old dad Alfred Dufour continues to remind his daughter to “be thankful for opportunities that come your way.”
Byrne shares that advice with students when she tells them, “you need to establish a sense of who you are and determine what interests you have at a young age so you can aspire to what you want to become. Work hard. Stay in school and find your pathway while exploring various career possibilities.”
On International Women’s Day, Tawil says, “I think about my 11-year-old daughter and how I want her to challenge herself and aim high regardless of the barriers she may face and use opportunities she is given. I think about my mom, who raised four kids in a new country and didn’t know the language, telling us we could do anything we put our minds to. I think of our female students who are learning about the world. And I think of the too many women who are still facing barriers because of their gender. It is important to have hope that we will be able to change that.”