Leadership is ... Starting a Fire!

A Leader? A Firestarter!

When I was young, I remember researching about how the first IBM computer came about. I remember reading about how large they started out and how much information they could store. I also remember reading horror stories about computers taking over the world and becoming smarter than humans. Today, all the computers in the world cannot find a solution to an oil spill in the Gulf or a cure for Cancer. Are our future citizens up for the task? How can we prepare them for what lies ahead? Clearly, our schools need to foster creativity, ingenuity and 21st century skills to tackle the problems of the world through collaboration, cohesion and changing the way they operate. A successful leader can be the firestarter for change.

A leader? A Change Implementer!

So onto practical matters: How can we implement change in the school system? Michael Fullan was quoted saying that “practice informs theory” and not the other way around. If this is so, then careful and thoughtful experiments in schools can produce real solutions to change the way our students learn. Experimenting with the way a course is delivered, or scheduled could be an example. Collaborating with each other, not only in the same school, or board, but around the world (via twitter or blogs etc.) will give us the data-driven decision making that we need to inform our theories about education. In other words, if a school board has just changed what a school day looks like, part on-line, part in-class, then the success of this approach could incite another leader to try the same approach. An informed leader is also a reflective one, who gauges the success of a particular program, or decision and if necessary, alters direction.

A Leader? A Thought Provoker

A leader provokes critical questions such as: Does the age of a student in a particular grade, indicate the probability of his/her success? Are December babies less likely to be successful? And if so, how can our school system better accommodate their needs? Questions are important because they provoke thought and possible solutions by stakeholders who include but are not limited to: teachers, students, parents & community members. A perfect solution may not always be present, but having courageous conversations on the issues, is productive and eventually leads to change.

A Differentiated Leader?

Just as a teacher would differentiate learning to suit the learners of his/her class, a great leader differentiates leadership roles for staff to suit their interests and talents. Many teachers are aware of their interests and talents and a good leader knows how to encourage teachers to share those talents for the betterment of the school and students. Conversely a leader can also integrate differentiated professional development to help staff along their own learning continuum. Differentiated Leadership also allows for more lateral decision-making, since decisions are shared. By collaborating and sharing our ideas, decisions can be more thorough and cover more contingencies because more people with different expertise are working on them collaboratively. In this way, the fallout from unsuccessful decisions are shared by a group of people rather than solely resting on the laurels of a select few or one person.

A Leader and the box of chocolates:

I have always believed that information is powerful. The more we have, the better informed our decision becomes. This information should not solely remain in the hands of one person. Information should be shared just like a box of chocolates. What better tool to share information than through digital media? It should be a leader’s role to share information and encourage others to share. Starting up a facebook or twitter group or a blog or google document specific to a school or issue at a school may be a start to sharing information online. Involving outsider input is also beneficial, even if the context may be different. I often send out a monthly or bi-weekly article, blog or video to all the staff concerning a hot topic in Education. Some have even generated a discussion or two, which is the hope.
I admit that I don’t always like to share my box of chocolates. But information sharing has always been second nature for me. As society shares more and more information via online media, so should our schools, as micro chasms of society. An ideal school has staff and students who are digitally literate; who work together utilizing their individual strengths for the betterment of the school; and last but not least, who ask and attempt to answer questions which bring about change. Lighting the match that starts the fire is the role of a successful leader.

Welcome Back Global Citizens!

As September looms on the horizon, teachers are beginning to think about the first day of school, the activities and rules they will be establishing in their classroom and the approaches to discipline they will take. In addition to establishing routine and learning names, teachers should give some thought to knowing their audience. Students come from all different backgrounds, religions and social classes. Exposing students to news events, books, articles, movies etc. that do not only represent a particular segment of society is paramount. The most important item in my classroom, for instance, is a map of the world.
It is essential for students in North America to realize that they are not the centre of the universe and that the world is a bigger place. All perceptions they have regarding what life is are just that: perceptions based on their experiences. What if I told them that where I come from, children walk barefoot in the streets? If they lived in Malawi, children would be working on tobacco farms where they would be exposed to so many carcinogens that their lungs deteriorate only after a few years. More than 75 000 children work on such farms in Malawi. (Monday August 24th,2009 Globe and Mail ) The Canadian government has decreased most of its aid to Africa and is now concentrating on South America. The argument is that problems of corruption and dependence on foreign aid have weakened economies in Africa to the point they cannot self-sustain. Africa has already received billions of dollars in aid with deplorable long-term results for its prosperity. Does aid really inhibit sustenance? How can aid be used more effectively to guarantee a country’s prosperity?
My most vivid memory of my time in Nairobi was on my birthday. My aunt took me to a slum area in Nairobi. We picked up bread and milk. Our driver went about to gather the people and they all lined up. My aunt instructed me to hand out a portion of bread and a bottle of milk to each person. They were mostly women and children in the line-up. For that day they would be full. But what would happen the next day? And the day after that? Was I doing a disservice to these people? Or was I just keeping them from going hungry for one more day?
Why not start the year up with a debate or discussion relating to the “real world” in one of your classrooms?

My hidden talent

“Can you say it again,” asked my 10 grade English teacher Mr. Proctor.
Oh no, I thought, after presenting a memorized soliloquy of a Shakespearean play. Did I screw up my lines? Perhaps I wasn’t loud enough? So I repeated my lines once more as Mr. Proctor listened intently.
Afterwards he said, “You have a gift.”
So now I was getting a present?? My bewilderment was obvious.
“Your pronunciation and enunciation was flawless and your ability to move people with your voice is remarkable,” he continued.
“Oh.” I said, still bewildered and now dumbfounded. I walked back to my seat to digest the news.
I had enjoyed reading Shakespeare aloud; except for the memorization part (I have a terrible memory). By evening my glee was obvious.
“Mr. Proctor says I have a gift!” I screamed when my mom walked through the door. As I spilled all the gory details to my mom, I awaited her response.
“That’s good,” she said. “But ask Mr. Proctor how the gift can help you in your future career.”
Future career? What difference did that make? I thought. I have a gift. Period.
My mom explained, “People often make career decisions based on their talents. If this is one of your talents, then you need to know how you can use it to your advantage.”
I guess she had a point. The next day, I gathered up the courage to ask Mr. Proctor the very same question. Mr. Proctor paused for a moment then said:
“You could be an actor,”
Acting? I was definitely not into acting. I am extremely straightforward and acting in any situation is not my forte.
“Or you could go into languages.”
Okay. Getting warmer. I did love learning French.
“Or you could be a teacher.”
Maybe, I thought, he’s onto something, as I walked back to my seat.


I recently shared this story with my students last week to explain that all of them have talents in different areas. Sometimes, someone points us in the right direction. Sometimes we choose to ignore the signs. I know I did. Luckily, my career destiny did finally materialize. The signs are always there. And destiny always wins.