My vision for educational leadership is based largely upon my belief in the inner greatness and tremendous worth within each individual. From the moment that a child walks into a school until the moment they leave, they must feel like they personally matter. The same can be said for our teachers and support staff. All must feel that the school is a safe and supportive environment in which they can feel free to be themselves and express their own unique identity. In my opinion, this is absolutely critical in helping to foster a positive school climate and culture.
To care for our young people is both a great privilege and responsibility. Children deserve to be treated with the utmost respect at all times. Both school leaders and teachers need to really listen to their students and strive to empathize with their feelings. Of all of my accomplishments in education, I believe my insistence that I treat my students with the same respect and care I would my colleagues, is among my greatest. I also firmly believe that school leaders should strive to make a positive difference everyday in the lives of their teachers. Teachers are worthy of tremendous respect and deserve to be supported in their efforts. They must feel that they are both valued and respected for their talents and expertise. Furthermore, teachers should always be supported in their quest to implement new and innovative ideas in the classroom. It is imperative to keep the child’s level of interest high in order to ensure that learning is always taking place.
One of the greatest gifts we can provide children is quality instruction in the classroom. This instruction and subsequent assessments must be primarily based on real life tasks. If we do not provide students with the opportunities to better understand themselves and their own identity, allow them to become free thinkers, and allow them to engage in real life tasks, to a large degree, the educational system has failed them. It is also vital to maintain high expectations for our students. I believe there is still a great deal of work to pursue in order to make this a reality. Students will rise to the expectations set for them. I have seen this in my own practice as an educator, and I believe that to lower expectations, to not deliver them the rigorous instruction they deserve, is to fail them, and deny them the competitive edge they need to succeed in the world today.
To care for our young people is both a great privilege and responsibility. Children deserve to be treated with the utmost respect at all times. Both school leaders and teachers need to really listen to their students and strive to empathize with their feelings. Of all of my accomplishments in education, I believe my insistence that I treat my students with the same respect and care I would my colleagues, is among my greatest. I also firmly believe that school leaders should strive to make a positive difference everyday in the lives of their teachers. Teachers are worthy of tremendous respect and deserve to be supported in their efforts. They must feel that they are both valued and respected for their talents and expertise. Furthermore, teachers should always be supported in their quest to implement new and innovative ideas in the classroom. It is imperative to keep the child’s level of interest high in order to ensure that learning is always taking place.
One of the greatest gifts we can provide children is quality instruction in the classroom. This instruction and subsequent assessments must be primarily based on real life tasks. If we do not provide students with the opportunities to better understand themselves and their own identity, allow them to become free thinkers, and allow them to engage in real life tasks, to a large degree, the educational system has failed them. It is also vital to maintain high expectations for our students. I believe there is still a great deal of work to pursue in order to make this a reality. Students will rise to the expectations set for them. I have seen this in my own practice as an educator, and I believe that to lower expectations, to not deliver them the rigorous instruction they deserve, is to fail them, and deny them the competitive edge they need to succeed in the world today.