The Courage of Educational Leaders

Have you read the Speaking Out article from the newly
released May/June issue of Principal magazine? In it,
author Mike Connolly argues that principals should be more forthright and talk more openly with their colleagues about the tests of courage they’ve had to face. “It is not hubristic to recognize and celebrate courage in education; it is inspirational,” Connolly writes.

Why don’t many school leaders recognize and celebrate more often the courage demonstrated by their colleagues? Is courage truly an important quality principals should have? Let us know what you think. Do you agree or disagree with Connolly?

Comments

[Dr. Jan]

One of the best articles that I have ever read!

[Thomas Martellone]

There are some great points here. I wonder if principals and administrators do not celebrate the courage they demonstrate on a regular basis because of our "public entity"? However, after saying that, I think of politicians and other people working in the public millieu who pretty vocally celebrate and are recognized for the courage they exude.

In part, I also question if it is due to the stature of the position. In years gone by, based on what I remember as a child and as a young adult, the position of principal was revered and thought of quite highly. I am not sure if even then principals celebrated the amount of courage it took to do their job, but it makes me wonder if societal changes have brought about our current state of affairs.

It does take a lot of courage to face an angry parent when they show up at a school board meeting to berate you, or to face several angry teachers when they are upset over a decision you have made that is in the best interest of children.

Professionally, principals need to find opportunities to celebrate those acts of courage with other administrators who can relate to and share their own stories. Our jobs should not be one of isolation.

I have written a couple other pieces on my own personal blog about PLCs and Educational Leadership. If after reading my post here you are interested, I'd love for you to go to the site and comment on them!

http://gcs.infostreamblogs.org/tmartellone