A Day in the Life of an Early Years Leader: Insights from Kathleen Anne Lyons

Ms. Lyons’ role as the head of early years at NAISAK involves balancing a deep understanding of child development, teacher support, and an ongoing collaboration with families. As a passionate advocate for children's growth, she reflects on her journey in education and the essential elements that shape her approach to teaching and leadership.

Early Years and Building Relationships

Kathleen, or Katie as she likes to be named, has a natural love for being around children, which has been a constant throughout her life. Interestingly, she is the youngest in her family, a position that shaped her appreciation for being looked after. “I’ve always just really valued being the little one that gets their own way, and being looked after,” she shares. Although she doesn’t have children of her own, she truly enjoys the time she spends with them at work. “A lot of my friends now have children, and I obviously spend time with them. But I get my fill at work,” she adds.

When it comes to building relationships with the students at work and at home, Ms. Lyons highlights one of the challenges she faces in early years education which is development of self. Ms. Lyons, who has studied child development and psychology, explains how important it is to understand that a child’s behaviour stems from their home environment and the values instilled there. “Everyone does develop a moral compass, but that very much comes from home, your culture, your faith, and what you're taught,” she says. This is where communication with families becomes crucial. By aligning expectations and teaching values like kindness, respect, and good manners, teachers can work in partnership with parents to guide children through their development.

When it comes to setting boundaries, Ms. Lyons stresses the importance of explaining to children why rules are in place. “If a child wants something that just isn’t appropriate for them to have, it’s okay to say no, but they need an explanation,” she notes. She emphasizes that respect must be mutual—adults should not only expect respect from children, but they should also give it. “I think it’s important that as an adult, you expect respect from a child, and from other people, you also have to respect them. It’s mutual.”

Communication Between School and Home

Ms. Lyons believes that a strong partnership between school and home is essential for a child's success, especially during transitions. She explains how small changes at home—like having an off morning—can impact a child’s behavior and affect their day. “Everything affects a child. You move house, that affects them. If something's going on in the morning, they didn’t like their breakfast, they come in out of sorts and that affects their day. It’s the same with school,” Ms. Lyons reflects. “When they’re moving from one stage to the other, there’s new people, there’s new environments, there’s new classrooms. Parents need the opportunity to also adapt with them and handle that.”

Regarding academic support, Ms. Lyons points out how methods of teaching have evolved since she was a student, leading to potential confusion if parents aren’t on the same page. “When I was at school, we did not do maths the way we do maths now. We do not use a comma the way I learned to use a comma. It’s always evolving,” she explains. To help bridge this gap, Ms. Lyons believes in maintaining consistent routines and expectations at both home and school to make it easier for children to understand and adapt. “It just makes it clear and consistent. Same routines at school as home, same expectations with behavior, same learning processes.”

Supporting Teachers and Fostering Collaboration

As the head of early years, Ms. Lyons’ role extends beyond teaching children to supporting the teachers on her team and ensuring they feel valued and empowered. Ms. Lyons admits that she misses having her own class, especially witnessing the growth in children from their first day at school to the end of the year. “The growth you see, particularly in foundation kids, from their first day at school to the end of the year is huge,” she shares. “A child comes in barely talking, and then they’re standing on a stage at the end of the year singing to their parents.”

To help support her team, Ms. Lyons practices what she preaches by staying active in the classroom and offering her presence for guidance. “I do try as much as possible to be in and out of the classrooms, which I think does support the staff,” she explains. “As a leader, you lead by example, so it’s important that they also see that I’m involved. I really push that they need to be with the children, engaging with the children. If I’m not doing that, how can I expect them to?”

Ms. Lyons believes in the power of collaboration. She values the expertise that each teacher brings to the team and encourages them to share their strengths with one another. "No one in any field knows everything. It’s important that we lean on each other and value each other’s ideas," she says. This collaboration is also extended beyond the early years department, with teachers regularly interacting with other parts of the school. “We do get brought into the primary school a lot more. We’ve had the secondary kids come and do a performance for them. We’ve had readers from Year 4, 5, and 6 come down and read with the children,” Ms. Lyons shares. These cross-department connections help foster a sense of community and support for everyone involved in a child’s education.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Early Years Education

Reflecting on the year, Ms. Lyons is proud of the progress made with the children, teachers, and parents. She highlights the increased involvement of parents through workshops, reading sessions, and events like the upcoming phonics and moving up workshops. “Getting the parents in, having that open-door policy has been really positive this year,” she says. “It’s just about building a community.”

For the teachers, Ms. Lyons has focused on creating an environment that promotes purposeful learning. “We wanted to make sure that every area within our classes is purposeful and does drive forward speech and language, maths, and literacy,” she explains. “We’ve always had a lot of success in prime areas of learning, so like their speaking and listening, their PSED, their physical development, and we wanted to make sure that our curriculum pushed the children even further with their maths and phonics.”

As for the future, Ms. Lyons looks forward to continuing her journey in early years education while also staying involved with the broader primary curriculum. She envisions further growth, both for the children and for the school community as a whole. “I love in my new role this year that I have the opportunity to be involved with primary,” she says. “But I will always have a soft spot in my heart for early years, and I don’t think I could ever fully leave it.”

Ms. Lyons also looks to the future with a new building for the EYFS school, which she is excited about. “I just want to make sure that we’re doing what works for the kids. And every cohort is different. So every year, there are changes within what we’re doing. But the team are very adaptable, and so are we,” she says.

Ms. Lyons’ Favorite Spots in Qatar

When she’s not busy at school, Ms. Lyons enjoys taking in the sights and flavors of Qatar. “There’s a restaurant in Katara at the top of the hill that I love, Beit Al Taleh. The views, the food, everything, I love it,” she shares. “My mom comes every year, and we always go there.” She also enjoys quieter moments like visiting the National Museum, particularly the animal section that’s designed for children. “I love that. I do enjoy going camping in the desert... but definitely not Zakhreet. There are spiders there,” she laughs.

Ms. Lyons also finds joy in simple pleasures like coffee with a view. “I love going down to the Corniche, just grabbing coffee, people-watching, and enjoying the colorful buildings by the port,” she adds. Dessert is a highlight for her as well. “I love dessert. I’m not a big breakfast person, but I do love going out and getting dessert,” she says, mentioning her favorite pastry at Paul’s and the chocolate festivals around the city.

Ms. Lyons’ openness and balanced approach to both professional and personal life reflect her commitment to creating a positive, supportive environment for both children and staff. Her passion for teaching, learning, and community is evident in every aspect of her role.