One of my favorite professors at Kent State University was Dr. Autumn Tooms. She had a unique approach to developing future instructional leaders which included assigning us to experience something we would never do on our own in order to get us out of our comfort zone. She sent some of our more conservative classmates to a mosque, a group of quite female future administrators were required to go into a biker bar, while others of us were sent to get a manicure at an Asian nail salon. Ben Hegedish, who is now the current superintendent at the Independence Local Schools, and I were sent to the nail salon. As we entered the salon we convinced ourselves that it would be fine because we were going to put the “Man” in manicure. However, soon after my hands were dipped in warm fragrant water to prepare my nails for the manicure an unexpected feeling of calm satisfaction began to come over me and as I glanced at Ben, he looked like he was in his own little world. The experience was something I have remembered over the years as it not only reminds me of what I might be missing by not considering other perspectives (the intended message), but it also has helped to remind me of the importance of trying to relate to others. As a simple example, I now totally get it when my wife says she “needs” a manicure. :) Those unusual assignments from Dr. Tooms stick out to me, but there was another that had an even more lasting impact on my leadership philosophy.
I didn’t expect it at the time, but our assignment to read George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara is something I have leaned on almost daily. This was unexpected because Major Barbara would hardly be considered a requirement for educational leadership, but Dr. Tooms knew what she was doing. In the book Shaw’s protagonist, Major Barbara, struggles with the moral dilemma to accept blood money from her father’s arms dealership in order to support her passion to help the poor. To add to the issue she witnesses her once pure hearted fiance succumb to the temptations of power which come with these tainted funds. Ultimately, Major Barbara must constantly ask herself what she values in order to make daily decisions in spite of the pressure from others and temptations she faces. It is this theme that I have carried out of Dr. Tooms’ lesson and into my own daily decisions.
Many times what we say is meant to convey what we value. “Kids Come First," “Nurture the Roots,” and “Do the Right Thing” are a few examples of such statements. However, it is our actions which speak louder than our words. It is important that we ask, “Do our practices match our beliefs?” In a 2017 post titled, “Are you Up for the Challenge to be Authentic from Day One,” I introduced the idea that in education time is currency. We can say anything we want about what we value, but how we spend our time (our actions) in the classroom demonstrates what we value. Do you spend time talking to young people in order to get to know them and understand where they are in their continuum of learning or do you spend time talking at students being sure to cover the content? Do you take the time in class to allow young people to make their own connections and develop their own thinking or do you efficiently share your thinking with students and tell them what they need to know to be successful on the next test? We should be considering questions such as these for decisions made everyday in every classroom, school, or school district. I also suggested, in a 2018 post, that there is a difference between doing things right and doing the right thing So, what is the difference?
Doing the right thing requires one to reflect on what you value and if , as an example, you believe “kids come first” than you should make decisions based on that belief even if it means sacrificing following a rule, bucking an expectation, or requires a move to break from tradition. (all examples of “doing things right”). It has been said that the average classroom teacher makes 1500 decisions a day. I would think the average instructional leader is near that number as well. With so many decisions taking place each day how can educators be sure to do the right thing? I believe we must look through a lens that will help us to focus on what is important or have something to anchor our decisions. My suggestion would be for that anchor or lens to be what you value. If we honor this approach then, like Major Barbara, we will make decisions which demonstrate what we value and our practices will match our beliefs.
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