Building a Healthy Community as a Head of School Overseas

Building a Healthy Community as a Head of School Overseas

Leading a school well includes strategy, systems, and vision alongside of spiritual maturity and a commitment to cultivate a healthy community.

Rachel Hollingsworth serves as head of school at Puebla Christian Academy in Mexico. Prior to this role, she led as a Director of Children’s Ministries, developing teams and supporting families. After moving to Mexico with her family and completing language study, she invested in understanding PCA’s context through close engagement with teachers, parents, and students. Through a process of discernment and partnership, the board invited her into head of school leadership. 

Rachel describes school leadership as deeply relational and formative for the entire community. "Each aspect of the school community needs to be approached as children of God who are in need of grace, discipleship, and accountability.”

She has also seen God’s grace at work through moments of conviction and clarity, even when the path forward has been difficult.

“I have seen God’s grace in revealing to us in some tough ways areas that we need to improve upon, ways that are beyond my opinion, but where God has made it very clear that He is speaking not just the administration or a certain person. While super difficult, it is His grace to show us these things so that we can correct and repent where necessary and grow together as a community.”

If you are a school administrator and you have wondered what it could look like to lead overseas, we would love to help you explore school leadership opportunities with TeachBeyond.

View open positions here: https://teachbeyond.org/go/headofschool