This declaration, written with the input of a team of passionate educators around the US, lies at the heart of the conversation we’ll be launching on February 2, 2012 aboard the USS Midway in San Diego. (See my previous post)
It is, of course, closely related to the broader Declaration of Extreme Leadership that I posted a while back, but focused on the specific mission of lifting up our kids to magnificent heights.
Please sound off in the comment section below and pass this declaration along to every educator in your life.
The cynics will disregard it out of hand (and, frankly, I’m cool with that), but wait till you see what the rest will do by taking this to heart:
Declaration of Extreme Leadership in Education
I, one of the undersigned educators of today’s youth, recognize that my students are greater than the test scores they achieve, greater than their ability to master the required curriculum, and greater than their grade point averages.
And I also understand and accept that I am more than an administrator, staff member, teacher or professor—I am responsible for helping my students grow to become our world’s future leaders.
And to that end, I believe that the principles of Love, Energy, Audacity and Proof, when applied to the way I lead and teach in my school, university, college or community, will help all of us not only improve the world of education (which is a noble mission), but transform it into something magnificent.
I agree that big, broad, systemic changes need to happen in our field: policies need to shift, pedagogies need to evolve, and priorities need to change—and I’ll do whatever I can to contribute to those transformations over time.
In the meantime,
Regardless of what is or is not happening “out there”, and regardless of what other people are or are not doing to change my students’ education for the better,
I commit to making a difference in the way I lead TODAY in my district, school, university, college or classroom; I am an Extreme Leader, committed to taking a Radical LEAP,
Right now,
For our students, our youth, and, therefore,
For all of us
I am excited to take the LEAP! I will be on the USS Midway along with a number of fellow educational leaders from my district. I have committed to spreading the word not only about this exciting event, but also about the important message and concepts contained in Steve’s books.
Magnificent
declaration, Steve and though I’m not directly a part of the academic school system,
I am a teacher/leader/messenger. I am also a product of our public school
system and I have been saying things like this for a long time. I do
contribute to changing the system as I can by speaking to students in the system
as one of my roles as a professional speaker and I have two teenaged
children….so this is close to home. One of the things I so want to see happen
is to stop attaching children’s sense of who they are and what is possible for
them to a computerized test score. It will also be wonderful when children’s
natural gifts and talents are respected and cultivated – when they can simply
be themselves – Magnificently! as I like to say. Of course, I have many
other suggestions for change…don’t get me started. Thanks Steve for you
visionary EXTREME leadership!
This is great and in step with your previous leadership books. Education and it’s roots protected by unions and infiltrated by politicians is a different animal. We need change.
Right on!