As I come into the new school year, I wanted to think about my own “Educational Leadership Philosophy” and put it into words. As I write this down, I love the picture below that reminds me it is not only what we say but what we do that matters.
Education and school have traditionally been the hub of our communities. Not only for the wisdom and knowledge they create for our present and future but also for the connections they create amongst a community. Growing up in a small town, teachers were revered and respected for their work with students. They always made an effort to connect with parents and caregivers to bring them in on their child’s learning process, not just with developing intelligence but also with developing students as people. The notion of “it takes a village” is something that I believe in deeply and is more critical now than ever.
As a leader, I believe in bringing a community together to share leadership in many different avenues. In a quote by Tom Peters, he states that “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” In a school community, this starts at the top in working with others to develop their leadership in every position and level of school. By focusing on an individual’s strengths, you show that you value their expertise first before you look to help them develop in other areas. This strength-based focus helps build a relationship with each individual, pushing them to be better every day. When the leader of an organization has this belief and proves it through actions, it trickles down to students in the classroom. The more experience I have in leadership, the more I see that effective teachers are influential leaders and have this same strength-based approach with their students. If we have a community that focuses on building leadership in all areas, we are more likely to succeed within our vision.
Through this value on developing leadership, our schools are more open to navigating and leading change. As society continues to change, schools need to adapt best to serve our students for their future and their present. Those who are willing to adapt and learn from change now will be the ones most likely to be successful in the future. As we see different jobs created in our world while other jobs are becoming irrelevant, we look to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs in schools. This is often created by instilling a sense of “intrapreneurial spirit” within educators that are always looking to grow and further the organization. While we look and build on what has worked in the past, we must also continuously look forward.
One of those changes in our world is a shift to an open and transparent environment. As an administrator, I have the opportunity to become better by continuously being able to visit classrooms and seeing what the most effective teachers do. Peers do not have this same opportunity because of our physical environment. Using different technologies such as blogging and Twitter, we open up our classrooms to other educators in our schools and schools worldwide to bring them in on this collaboration. As I always focus on “what is best for kids,” it is crucial that we look to help our students and how we can help other students from around the globe. As we tell our students when they walk into our schools, we must ensure that we create a culture of sharing within our community to learn from others around the world and within our community. The most innovative environments outside of school tap into the “wisdom of the room” and bring in different voices to learn and grow continuously; schools must do the same.
To be successful, people must have a purpose within our organization. This included families, who are a tremendous untapped resource within our communities. We can no longer have children going home and being asked, “what did you learn today?” and responding with, “nothing.” By opening the doors to our classrooms through both physical and virtual environments, we have the opportunity to change the conversation at home. Parents and caregivers can be actively involved in the process of learning, leading to a higher chance for the success of each child. The more we can include our families in this process at home, the more likely students will be successful in school and beyond. This community support is imperative.
In summary, by building relationships, developing leadership, and focusing on school as the “hub” of our community, we are more likely to create an environment where our students are building a bright future both today and tomorrow. By looking at what worked in the past while also looking to develop our future, our community is more likely to be able to come together to create the schools our kids need.
Spot on with this write-up, I truly believe that this amazing site needds much more attention. I’ll probably be returning tto read more, thanks
for the information!
Incredible and moving, as I work on finishing my masters in Education to become an Administrator. I am writing a paper on what my philosophy in education is and I share many of your ideas. I will be quoting some of them in my final paper if you don’t mind. Thanks for your sharing your heart, Yamile
I agree. I am working towards obtaining my M.Ed. in TESOL and we are studying educational philosophers and developing our own philosophies. I really enjoyed reading this article for several reasons. One, he shows mindfulness in the sense of bringing communities together and building communities in education. It is not just about cranking out content material. This is a quality that goes along with progressivism, which is the same idea (with much more to it of course). Mr. Couros clearly has a vision to move forward within the community to benefit the needs of the children. However, I would add the idea of Maxine Greene’s philosophy of using art to have students understand the world and community. I think this is another way to bring the community together and build strong network. Moving along in a progressive philosophic fashion will be beneficial. When the author says, “As society continues to change, schools need to adapt to best serve our students for their future as well as their present” this implicates actions and change, not just speaking of it. I absolutely love this! He is clearly a man that has a plan of action, critical pedagogy towards education, and a progressive philosophy, which is similar to my personal philosophy of education. What are your thoughts on this? What philosophical views/perspectives do you lean towards in a leadership role? It sounds like you have an exciting adventure ahead. I would love to hear from you.
thank you for your contribution: itz amazing and encouraging more .
Your article is very insightful and these ideas need to be implemented across the country. The problem is some teachers, administrators, and leaders are afraid to share their knowledge with others in fear that someone else may progress just a little bit further than their school or community will. One candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.
Your article is very insightful and these ideas need to be implemented across the country. The problem is some teachers, administrators, and leaders are afraid to share their knowledge with others in fear that someone else may progress just a little bit further than their school or community will. One candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.
Charlett,
I do agree that sometimes people do or do not do things out of fear. However, I feel that now is as good of a time as any to advocate for our students. When you think of critical pedagogy and taking action, this article and what you are saying speaks to that- taking action!
this inspired me so much. thank you.
This provides some great insight toward the involvement of community and the impact that this has on development in education. As a student, I’m currently considering how action research is applied in building knowledge toward progressing leadership. This post sets the tone on the importance of involvement from community members that aim to encourage relationships in order to empower young people in school.
Wonderful, this is imperative in creating collaboration among community members to foster development through academia.
Looking forward to seeing you in McAlester, Oklahoma in August!
Can’t wait to join you!
What an inspirational and visionary perspective, thank you.
This is the need of today as we talk of Global Village.To share is most important factor of growth of the universal relation.
No milelong words and statements to write. I agree in every aspect of what you have shared with us. We, as teachers, and have been destined to be have a mission: Teach the minds of our students, touch their hearts and transform their life.
Thank you and more power !
Its a helpfull article and Thanks for sharing this kind of information.
High school education isn’t just about understanding the above mentioned elements.
It truly is also about having a good time and enjoying your youth.
For more: school education
Thanks for your inspirational and visionary statement. I’m gonna quote some of your statements to my paper works if you don’t mind.
Thank you