School leaders at all levels and in all roles will gather together August 14-17 at Holiday Valley for Curriculum Camp XII. The week will be dedicated to understanding our authentic voices as leaders by finding clarity in what we believe. Dr. Dennis Sparks, Executive Director of the National Staff Development Council and one of this year’s national experts at camp, believes that “silence offers us access to the clarity and power of our own “voice” – which is the wellspring of our authenticity.” He believes that our authenticity is the most important source of influence as a leader.
As busy teachers and administrators, we often find that there’s not much time for silence in our hectic schedules. Finding the time to reflect and clarify our thinking is difficult. We need to understand that our effectiveness as a leader ultimately depends on our willingness to carve out the time to be silent and reflective through things like meditative reading or journaling. There are enormous rewards for taking the time to understand just what it is we are clear about. It helps us focus our efforts and communicate our ideas to our colleagues in a manner that is meaningful and enabling. According to Wilma Mankiller, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, "people with clear minds are like magnets and people and organizations move toward that which they are clearest about."
Join us in the Leadership Cohort at Curriculum Camp XII and bridge the gap between knowing and doing. Find out more about how clarity of thought will make your vision for learning translate into action.
Join the discussion by visiting Dr. Sparkes Blog at http://www.nsdc.org/sparksblog/
Laurie MacVittie, Staff Specialist for Math, Science and Technology and Co-chair for the Leadership Cohort at Curriculum Camp XII.
