notre dame cath_leadership_july 2014 [repaired]
TRANSCRIPT
Catholic School Leaders Today: ¡Animo!Go and revolutionize education.
Dr. Alberto Vazquez Matos
“…[Catholic] educators must be willing to learn and develop knowledge and be open to the renewal and updating of
methodologies, but open also to and sharing. In the context of the present day, this is essential for responding to the expectations that come from a constantly and rapidly
changing world in which it is increasingly difficult to educate.” (Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education. 2007)
A Catholic School Leadership Journey
Reflect on your leadership journey. What experiences have led you here?
Know your story of leadership – understanding your history and what has led you to this point will allow you to more authentically lead.
“A school of excellence is not about who we take/accept into our schools, it is about who we give back to society.”
Dignity + Love + Unity=Culture of Success
Dignity
We must continually challenge our closely held assumptions – what was right as recently as a decade ago may not be so today
Every child is called to be Holy We must be willing to beyond what makes us
comfortable, always having the best interest of our school communities.
This task is beyond just Catholic school educators: the whole Church has to be involved in promoting Catholic schools
Love
In order to create long term growth and sustainability schools need to have strong leaders who focus on establishing clear Catholic identity (Faith), rigorous academics (Excellence) and active stewardship.
It should be our primary focus – effective leadership eliminates minor problems and mitigates large ones.
Love our Faith Core of all that we do
Leaders Love to strive for excellence Rigor and laser focus on student learning measured by data
Love of our community We are not owners but inheritors; obligation is to continuously improve for
future generations – return with increase
Unity
“Leaders breathe new life into organizations by insisting that the people and the organization need
to adapt to changes in the outside environment. Given the speed and complexity of external change today, leaders need to stimulate internal change to
keep up. The basic idea is that if your organization is not changing and growing, it is
dying.” Blessings for Leaders, Dan Ebener (p. 82)
Be Bold and Brave
Catholic schools need to adapt and innovate to meet the needs of the 21st century family and student. The ways that have worked in the past will not in the future so change is a requirement for growth.
Technology Integration Curriculum Innovation
Language immersion, CCSS, Blended learning, etc. We are limited only in our imaginations – tap into what you are
passionate about
Relationships
Relationships drive everything Key in any leadership role but especially in Catholic schools
Sophie story Empathy is a key leadership trait
Understand what people are going through Active listening is important
All relationships are important but don’t let adult issues affect the students
Presence establishes relationships Invest time in knowing names and histories of principals,
teachers, etc.
Confront the Brutal Facts
In order to grow into greatness, you must face the brutal facts of your current reality
You should create a culture wherein people have a tremendous opportunity to be heard and for the truth to be heard – especially by the leader.
Reflect
Mistakes will be made – know that from the outset – but the only bad mistake is one that you don’t learn from
Good leaders are continually reflecting on their work and they are continually trying to further develop themselves professionally
Carve out time at the end of each day to reflect on what has happened – good and not so good – and be honest about how you can improve moving forward.
How are your actions as a school leader effecting social change.
Go Big: Depth v. Breadth
Bishop Gordon Bennett: “You can’t control the length of your life but you can control the depth of your life.”
Same for your leadership tenure – plan for each year as if it is your last.
Pray like everything is in God’s hands and work like everything is in your hands (Ebener, p. 22)
Always ask yourself is your school the best place to teach and learn.
Focus energy internally – don’t obsess over things which are out of your control.
“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out
before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you
will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to
the joy and glory of the climb.”Sir Winston Churchill