"A manager’s heart beats, too." Paraphrasing composer João Gilberto, psychologist and mental health consultant Alexandre Coimbra Amaral set the tone for the inspiring lecture that closed the first day of the 3rd Bett Conference. The event ran through Thursday, October 5, in a hybrid format, with an online broadcast on the Bettonline platform, directly from the Event Center in Recife.

Alexandre Coimbra Amaral's presentation, which lasted just over an hour, added even more meaning to all the panel discussions held throughout the first day of the event. Titled "The Manager's Emotions and the Development of Innovative Leadership," the presentation addressed the importance of the manager's role in relation to his or her team, emphasizing the manager's humanity.

"You're surrounded by people on all sides. But this responsibility to motivate a team is inhuman, because if we aren't even able to motivate ourselves every day, how can we possibly motivate a team?" said the psychologist, emphasizing that a manager's role should be to become a recipient of love—and by love, he meant solidarity and recognition of emotions.

Organized by Bett Brasil, Latin America’s largest education and technology event, the central theme of this 3rd Bett Recife Conference is “School Management and Innovation in Learning: How to Tackle the Challenges?” The goal is to discuss broader issues related to educational management, inclusion and diversity, and digital transformation in private elementary and secondary schools. Educador21, the event’s content partner, brings you a daily summary.

Panelists highlight the skills of educational administrators

The first panel of the day, “Innovation in Management—What Kind of Management Should Be Developed for an Innovative School?,” addressed the role of the administrator in the process of change and innovation in educational institutions.

Paula Leão, principal of Escola Vila Aprendiz, emphasized the importance of listening—not only to the staff and students but also to the community. “School leaders must look beyond the school walls for inspiration and make the school environment a space for the daily exchange of ideas, new ways of thinking, and learning,” said the principal.

Venâncio Freitas, CEO of Kedu, highlighted the “outside-in” perspective—an observation of the school environment and its unique characteristics that impacts people management and outcomes—which has been adopted in the corporate sector and can and should be leveraged by the education sector. “Good knowledge is shared knowledge, so that we can always provide a better school—not only for the teaching staff, but also for students and the community,” the businessman emphasized.

The issue of student-centered learning was also highlighted. Antonio Neto, a consultant at Educare 21, believes that this is innovation and that education for the 21st century should place the student at the center of the educational process.

"We must understand that we are educating children and young people for a world that is different from what it used to be—for the future. Schools must organize the information available outside the classroom and guide students through the learning and educational process. They must listen, provide guidance, make connections between students’ challenges, and organize these challenges to facilitate learning," said Neto, former Secretary of Education for the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Human-centered management takes center stage in the afternoon panel discussions

"Why should school administrators encourage the development of 21st-century skills and competencies in an innovative school?" was the topic of Panel 2, which emphasized the importance of human-centered leadership and active listening. Letícia Lyle, co-founder of Camino Education and principal of Camino School, also highlighted collaboration among educational leaders.

"Visit your neighbors [other schools in the region] because collaboration among peers is the greatest resource network a school administrator can have to help them meet the challenges they face on a daily basis," the expert suggested.

Jaime Ribeiro, CEO and co-founder of Educa Por Rossandro Klinjey, also pointed out that school administrators have come to play a leadership role and exert social influence that is also responsible for maintaining the mental well-being of the entire school ecosystem, which includes welcoming families.

The third panel of the day focused on the implementation of innovative projects. Under the theme “The School as a Learning Organization—How to Motivate Faculty by Promoting the Development and Learning of the Entire Team?”, panelists Carla Alexandres, Educational Projects Coordinator at CESAR School; Carol Stancati, Director of Red Balloon English Solutions; and Sara Huges, Founder and Executive Director of FourC Bilingual Academy, emphasized the importance of participatory management and planning, as well as the inclusion of families.