Next to the quest for peace, our nation’s most important goal is the development of a high-quality educational enterprise that will continue to prepare all youngsters for life in a fast-changing and complex world. Indeed, few individuals disagree with the belief of Clifton Fadiman: “There is an intimate connection between the survival of democracy and the quality of our public education system.”
I have striven to make myself – my life – the living embodiment of the above quotation, as a large part of my life has been spent in various institutions of learning, perfecting my mind in the hopes that I can better use it to improve the lives of others, and in turn, the world as a whole. Indeed, I have received much from my teachers and colleagues who came before me, but now is the time for me to give back to those who can benefit from my knowledge and skills the most; our most precious human resource: children.
My leadership style (character) is extroverted; it radiates warmth, fellowship, goals, respect, loyalty, faith, and an intense concentration on other people’s feelings and viewpoints. Philosophically, I look at things intuitively, and focus on personal development, as I am deeply concerned with the security of the future; I support time-honored institutions – with respect for tradition, fostered cooperation and friendliness.
As an educational leader, I believe I can make a significant difference for children. I believe in my ability to empathize with their situations in life, as well as their subculture; including the community and environments in which they live. By working in an impacted school environment, I believe I can help make-up the deficits children bring to the schoolhouse door. I believe school leadership is the most prestigious profession an individual could aspire to have. While it is obvious that society does not share this viewpoint, I believe promoting quality education for children is my spiritual calling; as education is the ultimate career for a person who is concerned with worldly problems. As an instructional leader, I am motivated by the teachers I had in my development, and I believe I should carry on with the unending task of improving education for children’s academic growth, but also for their moral, social, and intellectual development.
I believe schools need to improve their delivery of services to children. As a collegial member of the local instructional staff, I also believe I can model what a teacher should be; not only in interacting with children as their instructional leader, but as a member of the larger community; including colleagues, parents, administrators, and the local and federal governments. I believe in the improvement of instruction for children by giving feedback to those agencies responsible for the preparation of school leaders. I believe in notifying those agencies responsible for my own professional growth when they fall short of giving me the tools I need to carry out my role in this multi-dimensional chain of role players who share this tremendous responsibility of providing proper educational opportunities for children. I have learned, through my own life experiences, that nobody is perfect; not educators or children. Additionally, those who prepare us are also not perfect. Having learned this lesson, I am more patient and optimistic with children who are exceptional learners.
