Servant Leadership of School Heads: Through the Lenses of Novice Teachers

This study explored the teachers' perceived practice of Servant Leadership among school heads. Specifically, it aimed to answer the experiences of novice teachers regarding the servant leadership style of their School Heads and the coping mechanisms for the challenges emerging from the school heads. To achieve the objectives of the study, I made use of phenomenology. The 10 participants of this study are from Tagbaros Elementary School, Maco South District, Davao De Oro Division. I used a semi-structured online interview using the coding technique to analyze the data. The study disclosed different themes, such as empowerment to grow professionally and strong communication; here, Principals must assist novice teachers in understanding and integrating into their work environment. By doing so, novice teachers became aware of the dynamics of the school culture and identified their ability to function as community members. Another theme was Coping with the challenges in collecting results sub-themes: Practicing mindfulness and seeking support from others; with proper training and encouragement, new teachers greatly benefit from the experience and advice their mentors have to offer. However, starting mentoring with clear guidelines and understanding the functions and roles of all parties was crucial to the level of its success. As it takes time to master the craft of teaching and develop teaching expertise, new teachers who experience a favorable mentoring period by having all the necessary elements in place can start their careers with increased confidence.