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A Transformational Approach To Career School Leadership
A Transformational Approach To Career School Leadership
A Transformational Approach To Career School Leadership
Leadership
The definition of education is “the process of receiving or giving
systematic instruction” and an education is “giving moral, intellectual,
or social instruction.” Both derive from the Latin educare, which
means “lead out.” Regardless of the type of education we either
receive or propose to provide to others, leadership is at the heart of
the education. How we lead determines whether or not the process
inherent to education is successful for the ourselves and others.
There is, however, one challenge with this role: how can or should we
accomplish it? In my mind, it is a different onus altogether to assist
our students in personal maturation. For most of my instructors, as it
was for me, the initial view is that the role of the faculty is to teach. To
teach, regardless of its formal definition, often means to deliver
information that we then expect the student to learn. To learnis to be
able to utilize the information both within its received context and—
within reason—in novel ones. To teach someone to enter medical
record information, take blood pressure, or to give a massage is a
concrete skills that can be evaluated objectively. Success inthis aspect
can be measured. But how do we teach someone “to mature”?
While the career school or college literature suggests that our role is
changing, we remain the choice of many people who view jobs as work
rather than as a venue for engaging and evolving their best qualities
and ideals. Hence, they seek “job training,” and we may very well be
—although we may not like to admit it—“just” giving them job training.
At our best though, we strive to give our students a perspective that
allows them to see themselves in a new light. But to do this, we must
transform our students. Which brings us back to our previous
question: how do we teach someone to mature? How do we teach
some to transform?
All human beings have an emotional core. The emotional core consists
of the range of internally expressible emotions that each of us can
experience. For example, most people have an internal emotional
states that we label “anger,” “happiness,” or “joy.” However, each of
us can experience those internal emotions in different ways, to
different degrees, and at different levels of visibility. In response to
the same situation or stimulation, a person may experience
“compassion” with tearful eyes or a wide smile; in a way that makes
them feel suffused with the sensation or localized to a specific place;
and may have a very demonstrative display or a very subdued.
Based on your definition lists, begin to connect the things in your daily
personal and professional life with this list. How much parity or
disparity is there between your list and your experience of everyday
life? What concrete decisions and actions could you take to make
changes that would improve your sense of stability, satisfaction, and
consistency?