The Tipping Point....

I just read a great book overview from Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point.  For me this was similar to the first time I read about my zodiac sign.  I am a Scorpio through and through.  Almost every characteristic a "true Scorpio" has, I also carry.  I am proud of it, I even have a tattoo (although outdated) that represents it.

In the three blogs I have written I have felt a bit boastful of myself and I acknowledge that.  I kind of hate how that feels on some levels but I am also learning the characteristics of good leaders and I am finding what I do have to offer as a leader and where I lack as a leader.  This is all very new to me and I am just sharing what I find about myself.

When I read the overview of Gladwell's book I realized quickly that I am a "connector" and often a "maven" as well.  As I was reading about these different types of people I was feeling pretty proud of myself for the connections I have made through being a teacher, a mom, a coach, a rotary member, a board member, an outreach coordinator, a friend, and for just being who I am.  When I read the assignment linked to the article stating we need to express what type of person we are in education and in leadership and I couldn't place myself.

The Tipping Point explains that we need to understand how change happens.  It talked of "epidemics in action" meaning clear examples of infectious behavior.  To explain a little better the concept they talked about Paul Revere riding through Lexington on his horse warning everybody that the British were coming.  There was also another young man by the name of William Dawes who did the same thing but nobody listened.  They explained the reasoning for this.  In life there are "connectors, mavens and salesman."  The connectors in life are the people who have the deep connections with the smaller circle of more important or persuasive people and/or leaders.  The mavens are the people who receive the information to be dispersed by the salesman.  Paul Revere was a connector and made sure he went past all of the house where people lived that were in come sort of power.  He knew these people and they listened to him because he was "connected and respected."  William Dawes was ordinary and did not have the same connections.  The salesman are the people who keep the business honest and therefor were able to get people up in the middle of the night to fight the British.

I am a connector in my every day life but in education I am not in terms of education resources.  As an example, I have a very good friend who has been the a teacher in our district for over twenty years.  Our Superintendent, trying to save the district money, called her last summer and told her she did not have a job because her teaching license had lapsed.  She had done all of the online work she needed and I knew that because I helped her.  It laid in the hands of our local standards board.  She asked for him to bring her back as a sub until the licensing department was ready to re-open her files.  He told her no.  I hung up the phone with her and called my previous Superintendent from a different school district just to pick his brain.  I emailed a retired union representative from a different school district because her long term partner had been my dentist since I was three.  I emailed our now Senator but then a member of the Committee on Education.  I also emailed our local State Representative.  All but my previous Superintendent were people I had connected with during my years in Rotary.  Within 24 hours her case had been opened and our local standards board needed to follow through on their part and "reinstate" her license.

While I have many great connections, my hope is to create more educational connections to help teachers and faculty with educational resources.

Arn, Jackson. "The Tipping Point Chapter Two: The Law of the Few." LitCharts.LitCharts LLC, 29 Nov 2016. Web. 28 Jan 2019.

A Leader I Admire

After much thought in trying to pick someone that I admire as a leader, I finally found some success.  I  wanted to think about leaders close to me, not leaders out in the world somewhere whom I've never actually met.  I realize there is no harm in choosing a stranger but I wanted to really be able to describe a person, using real facts and not just what is aired on the television or in print.  My first thought was to chose one of my parents, but who doesn't think their parents are leaders to admire??  I ultimately ended up choosing someone whom I always talk great about, whom I would recommend for anything and whom I trust. 

This gentlemen was someone my husband worked closely with for about seven years.  He made my husband a better person.  Not that he wasn't a good person to begin with but he really showed him how to be a leader.  I truly believe that my husband holds the position he does because of the traits he learned from this man.  My husband is operations manager for a large trash removal company locally.  In all reality I could have chosen my husband to write about because he is too a great leader but he is still learning. 

If I had to chose a characteristic that best describes this man it would probably be, committed.  The most interesting thing about choosing committed is that is has not come up in any of my other work.  I think to be committed, you must also be; consistent, empathetic and trust worthy.  Consistent because you need to be present, empathetic because you need to understand others and trust worthy because they need to understand they can trust you to lead them.  This man has changed the lives of many with his commitment to them.  He has taught them that you cannot give up and that you need to fight for what you want.  He has taught them to be the best "me" they can be. 

Who Am I as a Leader?

I am a teacher.  Being a teacher is being a leader.  We lead not only students and our own learning, but we also lead our colleagues and staff members.  Articles and videos suggest that a great leader is one who builds up the environment making it a positive place to be.  A leader is someone who does not intimidate but instead encourages others to do well and make themselves better.  As a teacher librarian I have an incredible opportunity with all of the students in both schools to act as a positive role model, a leader.  Our school's faculty is filled with many great leaders.  I would like to consider myself to be a pretty great leader.  I almost always have a smile on my face and I am almost always presenting positive vibes in school.  I have been a role model to many students at the high school who rely on me to be the person they can go to.  I gladly take on that role.

My decisions as a leader are guided by the students.  They are also guided by the actions of our administrators. As a faculty we lift each other up and act as leaders to each other.

I have found that getting things done in the long term in any school district is very difficult.  Getting things done for the short term is a much easier task.  As a leader I chose to get things done myself when possible.  I always have the best interest of the students in mind when making decisions.

I believe communications is extremely important for any leader.  In fact I believe communication is very important in all aspects of life.  My communication is generally face to face.  With the students it is obviously always face to face but it certainly varies between students.  I take the time to get to know my students and how they respond to different interactions with adults and with other children.  When I learn their personalities and what they respond to best, I know how to communicate with them.  For example, I have one student in fifth grade that is very difficult.  He has a terrible attitude with specials teachers.  I have a very good relationship with him because I took the time to connect with him outside of the library.  I remember when he was in first grade I sat on a bench with him outside of the guidance counselor's office and rapped Eminem songs with him for a solid 15-20 minutes.  This gave us some common ground to build off of.  I rarely raise my voice to him because he does not respond.  If I need to speak to him I do it quietly and not in front of other students.  Communicating with adults is every bit as individualized as it is with students.  Adults need to be spoken to in different ways.  I try to communicate with everybody with respect because that is how I want to be spoken to.

I struggle having to make decisions.  If my husband and I are going to a restaurant I have to look at the menu during the day to have a good idea about what I would like to order.  Decision making in my role as a leader here at school is difficult as well because our decisions are not always supported.  Making decisions within my classroom however is easy.  I have routines and I encourage the students to be independent and make their own decisions.  My decisions making in terms of resources is strictly based on the motivation of the students and what their interests are.  They help me pick out books every year.

My organizational structures vary depending on the group, group size, age level and activity.  If I am reading to students the expectations is to sit, listen and engage.  If I am doing something with a maker space such as circuits, I expect them to be loud, collaborating and having fun!

I have so much to learn as a leader but I am willing to learn, that's a good start!

~ Meghan Maguire