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A Work in Progress

I've written before about my PLN and how much they have changed my career. I won't rehash all of that but suffice it to say, they have (and continue) to have a profound impact on me. I've been doing my part to promote twitter as a collaboration and PD tool. I'm weathering the twitter jokes from some while helping to show those that are interested some of the possibilities. I'm also trying to keep up with blog reading and writing as I have found them both to be a method of reflection for me.

So here I sit on a snowy Thursday, slowing down just a little due to the two hour delay we have. I've just finished reading Dr. Joe Clark's recent blog post. Yesterday was a tough day for some of the students in my school. Reading Dr. Clark's post reminded me of two things:

1) I'm not alone in this balance of leading with the heart in mind. Many of our students are dealing with so much. Saying "so much" doesn't even capture the depth of what they are going through. They need more of our time --- my time --- to help navigate these troubles. At the end of the day yesterday, that hit me like a ton of bricks. When I went to compile the notes from the students I had seen throughout these past couple of days, I remembered there are some basic emotional needs that need support first.

Being a school leader is about service first. Dr. Clark hit that nail on the head!

2) There's a perceived risk associated with being a "connected" leader". (Peter DeWitt skillfully wrote about this topic earlier this week.) The perceived risk is that you're putting yourself out there. When you write a blog post or tweet a comment, the whole world can see how you are feeling (at that moment) about something. A year ago, I agreed! But, as my professional career has evolved this year, so have I. In the beginning, I would sometimes have others read my posts to make sure they were "ok" or "politically correct". I found myself messaging back and forth with a trusted colleague. We were "discussing" the risk associated with putting your voice out there. I told him I thought I should just "tip toe" into sharing my voice. He challenged me, instead, to "stomp".

Being a school leader is also about having a voice.

I am realizing that having a voice makes me a more thoughtful leader. There is too much going on in the lives of our students and staff to pretend that status quo is ok. It's not. 

If I won't share my voice, what message am I sending to the staff and students I work with? They need to know they matter -- we matter.












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