Interview and Leadership Philosophy
Section One
Introduction
The school district is a title 1 school district in a low socio-economic neighborhood. The demographics consist of 68% African-American, 22% White, 10% Hispanic. The school district has stated that it wants to promote more social justice learning throughout the schools in the district. Thus, the Superintendent of the school district is very vocal about social justice issues.
Interview
How and why did you become a leader?
Very early on I became a leader in my familythats where it starts. Helping out my mother with the chores in the house, making sure were all fed, bills are getting paid. I got my first job when I was 14 and I was helping in every way I could. You know if you dont learn it home, its tough to get a sense of your own power to lead, because thats the best place, the best opportunity to get it.
What is your personal background?
I come from a single-parent home in a very working class neighborhood. I know what it means to have a blue-collar work ethic, but also what it means for people to struggle. We have a district here that reflects a lot of the problems in the economy, in society in general, where there isnt always the kind of stability and the values that really foster a sense of accountability. I got that at home and from my church, and I had teachers along the way who supported those values, and thats what we need more of today, because not every family is able to do it on their own.
How did you learn from the obstacles and challenges faced?
I learned that its important not to get down on yourself or on others because you never know their situation and you should never think of your own situation as beyond repair. There is a strength in weakness as Scripture tells us, and what that means is the more you realize youre down for the count the more you realize how dependent you are on God for getting you through. He sees what you need and His love is more abundant than anything elseso you put your trust in Him and He is always faithful.
What has been the lasting impact of your leadership?
We are growing and developing in ways that we need to. Bringing communities forward, and stressing the importance of integration between schools, businesses, families, churcheseverything: youve got to get people involved and engaged because thats the only way to make it all work.
Do you promote an ethical and productive school culture? If so, how? If not, why not? What could be done to remedy this situation?
Ethics are important, but what kind of ethical system are we going to have? A lot of ethical egoists out there, and thats not good. We dont need more people thinking about how they can use others to benefit themselves; we need people of strong character, people who are going to make a difference in the lives of others because they understand this is why theyve been put on this earth, to love and show love and gain from giving rather than from taking.
Do you demonstrate a collaborative spirit, informed by relevant research and evidence? If so, how? If not, why not? What could be done to remedy this situation?
Obviously collaboration is a big part of what I bring. Its based in research, yes, and its based in personal experience. Growing up, I could not have made it on my own, not in a single-parent home. But I had siblings, I had neighbors, I had a church community, and we all supported one another...
As Oncken Jr. and Wass (1975) note, the leader has to realize he is working for his followers, for the stakeholders buying into the vision. They are not working for him; they are working to achieve the vision. The leader is nothing without his followers, and he is a leader because he gives himself to them, to the vision, to the goal. Even when the going gets tough and all the metrics say that one is failing, it does not matter: Fleshman (2013) shows that in this fight to succeed, we all need to be scrappers, coming back against the odds, demonstrating grit and perseverance, and showing our ability to bounce back from adversity by developing that most important of all qualities: resilience. Be resilient to the odds, be resilient to the environmental factors that can wear people down; be resilient to the statistics; be open to Gods love because that is where the grace comes from to get through anything. I want my teachers and learners and parents and < style ='color:#000;text-decoration: underline!important;' id='custom' target='_blank' href='https://www.paperdue.com/topic/community-leaders-essays'>community leaders and business owners to be aware of that fact. No matter who they think they are or what they think they can do on their own does not matter one whit. They have to think in terms of giving, because God sets the example and God is always giving more than we deserve. Keep that mentality and that spirit alive and the reward will be great. That is…
References
Ferrari-King, G. (2016). 12 Unforgettable Role Players on Championship Teams.
Retrieved from https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2647650-12-unforgettable-role-players-on-championship-teams
Fleshman, L. (2013). To heck with science. Runner’s World, 56-57.
Jentz, B. (2009). First time in a position of authority. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(1), 56-60.
Oncken Jr, W., & Wass, D. L. (1975). Management time: Who's got the monkey?. JONA:The Journal of Nursing Administration, 5(6), 26-30.
Phelps, P. H. (2008). Helping teachers become leaders. The Clearing House: A Journal ofEducational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 81(3), 119-122.
Rodman, A. (2018). Learning Together, Learning on Their Own. EducationalLeadership, 76(3), 12-18.
Syvstum, O. (2020). Los Angeles Lakers: Most important role players to win achampionship. Retrieved from https://lakeshowlife.com/2020/08/20/los-angeles-lakers-important-role-championship/
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