The Middle Years of a Woman Educator

A 22-year-old can launch a start-up from their study room, manage millions in funding, and make it to Forbes' 30 list. A 25-year-old can inherit the family business and immediately start calling the shots as CEO. But suggest that a 35-year-old educator with over a decade of classroom experience could lead a school, and suddenly everyone looks shocked. "But do they have the qualities to be a school leader?" they ask.

I recently scrolled through job postings for principal positions. "Candidates must be between 45-50 years of age." I had to read it twice. In what universe does leadership have an age timer that only starts beeping at 45?

I am no longer a middle-years educator, but I grabbed this opportunity to write my perspectives on why middle-years educators should be focused upon and empowered, based on my own experience.

The Sweet Spot of Leadership

I became a principal at 36, which apparently makes me part of the blessed few who became school leaders at that age, thanks to school owners who thought differently. And honestly, it was brilliant. I had the experience to know what actually works in schools, the energy to keep up with both staff challenges and student trends, and enough years ahead to see the long-term impact of programs we were building.

I was young enough to relate to Gen Z teachers joining our staff, old enough to earn respect from veterans eyeing retirement, and right in the middle where I could bridge the generational gap that tears many schools apart.

All in a Day’s Work

Picture this: 8:30 AM on a working day. A child needs first aid, five teachers have applied for leave, education officials are arriving for inspection, notebooks await correction, and the list goes on. The person handling all this with a smile is often an educator in their middle years.

My approach had fundamentally shifted. "Hey, go sit quietly. You are a nuisance to the class" this could have been my reaction years before, but not anymore. As a mid-career educator, I learned to look at the root of problems rather than react to external behaviour. When I dug deeper into any child's well-being, I often discovered something troubling beneath the surface.

In their twenties, educators ask: Will I be liked? How do I get promoted? How do I manage my classroom? But in middle years, purpose shifts. Engaging with children meaningfully becomes paramount. We're no longer in the rat race for recognition. We make informed choices, convinced that an educator's true reward lies in children's emotional and social development rather than marks alone.

Recognizing What I Once Was

Today, my leadership team consists of the principal and coordinators in their middle years enthusiastic, willing to introduce new programmes, sensitive to student needs. They have the energy to engage parents and organize every school programme with genuine commitment.

I see in them what I once was and what the education system too often overlooks.

"She is young and energetic. Let's induct her." "She is experienced, let's make her a consultant." These are the two ends institutions prioritize. Those in the middle years become invisible.

Yet mid-career educators should be most sought-after, possessing both experiences to lead effectively and energy to shoulder responsibility. This age group of women often steps back from professional responsibilities due to young children and elderly care, and their growth takes a back seat. If families were more accommodative and helpful, more women in their middle years would take up professional responsibilities that will be empowerment in its true sense.

Conclusion

As education shifts from curriculum-completing machines to places where students learn to be service-minded, future-ready, active in sports, and academically strong middle-years leadership should be the apple of an eye in schools.

It's time we rethought what school leadership looks like and when it should begin. More power to middle-years educators, and more power to those who hire them and recognize their importance.