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eaglzherenow

I have just returned from an awesome trip to our Nation’s Capital – Washington DC.  I took my two daughters, ages 13 and 12.  We were amazed by the museums, in awe of the monuments, and baffled by the fast-paced life of many of those who live and work in Washington.  There were many points of interest and we kept saying to ourselves how we did not realize or know something we were seeing or learning new.  I enjoyed being educated as well as educating my daughters.  However, the one thing that really struck me as a doctoral student in leadership was how intelligent our first leaders were and how much vision they held.

“Our Founding Fathers were truly great men, but it was more than just their courage and passion that made them great leaders – it was their unyielding conviction to their values, beliefs and ideals. These men were not only some of history’s greatest statesmen, soldiers, activists, and revolutionaries – they were also some of history’s greatest thinkers.” – Mike Myatt, http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/07/03/the-un-education-of-a-nation-where-we-went-wrong/

This article goes on to talk about how our society has been lost in a new order education and has left a classical education.  This is another debate for another time.  The thought I have is that our founding fathers were great leaders because they had a core of values, beliefs and ideals – based upon “In God We Trust”.  When a society leaves its core values and accepts the many and varied, it is diluted to a thin stream of nothing.  If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.

Leadership takes courage, it takes passion, it takes hard work, it takes intelligence, it takes having values and applying them to the many situations at hand.  There is a core truth – there is an absolute truth – and until this nation realizes this and our leaders, of our nation, our organizations, our institutions, our communities, understand this absolute truth, we will continue down a road of disunity, of chaos, of mistrust, of unpatriotic citizens – because they have lost the vision or do not understand it from our leaders.

eaglzherenow

As I finalize my 360 project paper, I reflect upon how life and learning can often be connected to childhood memories.  The basis of who we are, who we have been, and who we may become, is founded on the “simplest of ideas”.  Being a parent can reinforce this belief and can test your abilities every day – there are many challenges.  I enjoy being a parent.  The many facets of being a leader are applicable to my daily life as a parent!

“Leadership, while hard to believe, is actually simple.  It is just how we react and act to the situations and people we face.”  - rethinkhr.org  Dr. Seuss says “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple”.   Leadership can be very simple.  It CAN be simply based on the way we react and act to the situations and people around us.  Being an engaged, compassionate, skillful leader is nothing more than assessing each situation in a careful way and reacting or acting within the spirit of people and what is best for the situation at hand.  My motto as an educational leader is “What is best for the students?”  In any decision I make, I try to simplify it to just this – what is the impact on our students.

Turning back to Dr. Seuss and the simplified connection of being a parent to being a leader, I would like to quote the great author who always seemed to have the right perspective on life.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

:I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.  Some come from ahead and some come from behind.  But I’ve bought a big bat.  I’m all ready you see.  Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”  (I personally love the big bat reference – )

“Today was good.  Today was fun.  Tomorrow is another one.”

“You have brains in your head.  You  have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.  You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.  You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.”

“I’m afraid sometimes
you’ll play lonely games too,
games you can’t win
because you’ll play against you”

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

So as all of us reflect on our leadership abilities and skills, let us simplify our outlook.  Take it from Dr. Seuss – “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

Hoping everyone is enjoying the BEAUTIFUL SNOW that is falling over Virginia today.

eaglzherenow

I am not one to enjoy slapstick, however, the Monty Python skit I viewed from the Blackboard post was very funny this evening.  I am not sure if it was based on being so silly, and thus so funny, or if it really had a point.  I feel like we argue at times in circles, whether intentionally or not.  So whether arguing for argument sake or for a true point, an argument can be very silly.  In our professional life, one may have felt like this skit where you were very serious about a situation or a point or issue and you get the round around and not matter how much you know it is the round around, you continue to argue the point.  I believe that men and women are this way naturally, perhaps that Venus and Mars thing is true. 

In light of the assignment, persuasive argument, we need to take a stand, have a good foundation, solicit solid coalitions, and continue to advocate for our passion.  The need for competent, yet practical argument is essential.  Keeping in line with the issue, we need to be in touch with the audience we may have and effectively “get what we want”.

eaglzherenow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2EQcUN1uU – Ken Kay – President of P21

 Highlight the most important aspects of what the advocate or coalition leader has to say:

• All students should be prepared with 21^st century readiness
• Based on the global innovative economy
• Students are competing with other students around the world – on innovative and collaborative skills
• New education model proposed is based on the 3 R’s and the 4 C’s
  • 3 R’s – Reading, wRiting, and aRithmitic
  • 4 C’s – Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity
• Important for all students to have the above skills – fused together
• Need for advocacy on the local level with a commitment to professional staff development – teaching teachers what the new model looks like and how to incorporate all skills together
• Need for advocacy on the state and federal level – politically – to work on the policy-makers to create policies that concentrate on this new education model to promote throughout the education world

 I enjoyed the United Way video and applaud the man for wanting to give back.  When you see an advocate who is also giving 150% himself and not just asking for things, it is easier to have an emotional attachment to the cause because you can almost put yourself in his shoes and want to help!!

eaglzherenow

The group’s initial issue to look at was – Do some students lack access to technology based on individual or local socioeconomic status?  As I review this issue, and peel away to the heart of the issue, I wonder is the access based on knowledge or ignorance or based on money and ability to pay or not to pay for the 21st century technology?  Do our families, communities, and schools lack the money to provide the technology to our children/students or do the lower socioeconomic groups – poor rural families who may be black, white or hispanic, lack the knowledge of what is important to the growth and education of a child/student to compete in this global economy?  So is it access or ignorance, pre-education or post-education, families/communities or schools?

As a leader in education, it is my responsibility to be proactive and advocate for the needs of all of my students.  Since we cannot always control the have and have-nots and the resources outside our school day, we need to do everything within our power to find equity within our school day and stay competitive with all other schools in the state of Virginia.  Being competitive as a citizen in our global economy and a possible student in our post secondary institutions is important!!