As
I begin my new journey in administration I begin with high hopes and
fears. There are many questions and
concerns growing along the way. To ease
my mind, I decided to join George Couros’s (@gcouros) Virtual Mentoring Program
(#savmp) where George has paired over three hundred and fifty administrators
from around the world to guide one another through the roller coaster of
educational life. As part of this
program he asked us to reflect on why we lead.
So, here it is, this is why I lead…
I
lead because there were so many from my past that counted me out! As I hear stories from leaders that I look up
to like Jimmy Casas (@cassas_jimmy) who also struggled throughout his childhood
and school, I cannot help but prove the naysayers wrong. Don’t take this the wrong way…this is the
root of my passion, not the tank that drives me. I love it when I see people from my past
because they are floored when I inform them of my involvement in
education. I have to say they deserve
this reaction as my past proves their perceptions.
I lead because I want to see
change. I want to see educators do what
is best for students not what is easiest or causes the least amount of work. I want to push the envelope and encourage
teachers to try new things; I want them to think outside of the box. I want teachers to bust out of the mold and
revolutionize their classrooms and schools.
Seth Godin once said, “Fitting in is a short term strategy to get you
nowhere. Standing out is a long term
strategy that takes guts and produced results.”
I lead because I want teachers to
use cutting edge technologies/techniques.
As a classroom teacher I tried to think of every possible way to
incorporate technology. I spent countless
hours trying to find that one thing that would revolutionize the
classroom. I want to create an
environment where teachers are begging for more opportunities to
purchase/incorporate technology rather than complaining why it was purchased
and allowing it to collect dust in the corner.
I want to create a culture of leaders where every person has a moment to
shine.
I lead because I am passionate and I
want everyone to be successful. I want
to have a meaningful relationship with everyone in my building. I want students, staff, and colleagues to
follow my lead and give everything they can every day and know when they leave
the building they have accomplished something.
I want a culture of connectedness where students and teachers feel their
accomplishments are appreciated and work to build relationships each day.
I lead because of a fear of
failure. I have failed many times in my
life and these failures have built me into what I am today. Do not fear failure, accept it, and use it to
build a better you. Work hard and
realize if you are not getting better, you are getting worse; in education
there is no such thing as staying the same.
