Authored Books

  • Breaking Free in Zambia-Tales of a Western Woman

    Breaking Free in Zambia: Tales of a Western Woman is a reflective memoir, travel journal, and insightful guide into the life of an international teacher, single mother, and maturing woman. It is a collection of personal stories written by an American woman who left everything familiar and confronted many fears, for the opportunity to be a drama teacher in Zambia. In the process she discovered and uncovered a more authentic life.

  • Moments in the Heart- A Collection of Love Poems

    Shannon Bruce Ramaka believes that writing poetry may be a key to living a life with highly connected moments. The process of quietly listening to one's heart and then finding the words that capture its experience, may stimulate a broader perspective and insight into human existence. This may also foster a greater sense of connection with one's inner self and with others, while also providing moments of peace. This collection of forty-five poems represents special moments and memories of love throughout her life. She hopes that it encourages readers to explore their own poetic expression and uncover the voice of their heart.

  • The Principal's Desk Reference To Professional Standards

    “Inspired by Great Ideas;Lured Into Action by Great Visions”, published in The Principal’s Desk Reference to Professional Standards: Actionable by Robyn Conrad Hansen, F.D.D (15 March 2022)

  • Activating Middle Executives Agency to Lead and Manage During Times of Crisis

    The term middle leadership is used in education to broadly describe the swathe of administrative roles that connect the classroom teacher with the top-tier management level role of head of school. The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the criticality of this role to school effectiveness and its relevance to crisis response. This chapter presents findings from a qualitative study conducted to understand how middle leaders were empowered during the pandemic in the international school context. Thirteen in-depth interviews with heads of schools, across three continents, were conducted to better understand how middle leaders were activated during the crisis. The findings revealed that while middle leaders were empowered through authentic collaboration, increased communication, and role clarity, due to the experience of the crisis, this was not always intentional. Finally, this chapter shares a conceptual framework that senior leaders may utilise for the sustainable empowerment of their middle leaders.

    Barker, M. R., & Ramaka, S. B. (2022). Understanding Middle-Level Leaders' Empowerment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Context of International Schools. In A. Wilmot, & C. Thompson (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Activating Middle Executives’ Agency to Lead and Manage During Times of Crisis (pp. 134-160). IGI Global.