"I'd Send My Kids to Your School"

I teach all of the freshmen in my school this year and have tried to really adopt them as a class and make an investment in their development. As part of that process, I've created an area of my classroom called "Going to College" where I post seniors' acceptance letters from colleges and universities.

Recently I was accepted into a university-based program myself, and I so I posted my own letter. Northeastern University and the Center for Collaborative Education accepted me as a member of next year's Principal Residency cohort, and I posted my acceptance in order to highlight my own desire to continue to further my education and professional life.

The letter has prompted a number of interesting conversations. In one heartening moment, a student of mine asked me about my desire to be a principal one day and told me, "I'd send my kids to your school." I felt honored by the moment but not surprised; she's been a fan for months. Just today, though, another student told me that if there could be a vote for his principal, he'd vote for me. This from a student who's been kicked out of my class three or four times in the past two weeks and I felt sure was fast becoming my enemy.

He made me think about what young people expect in a leader and what they see in me. My conclusions may be obvious, but as with much truth that we all know in our minds, it can take time to truly lodge itself in our spirits. Young people want their leaders to be involved in their lives, to have vision for their future, to be competent at what they do, and to demand the best for them. It's not much more complicated in their minds, and perhaps they're right.

As a professional leader, I want to keep this "amateur" spirit about me: the one who loves to lead, rather than the one who simply does it for a job. I want to always be involved in others' lives, I want to see hope for their futures, I want to manage competently, and I want to help people rise to their best selves. I want to lead.