"Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and diligence."

                                                                                      -Abagail Adams

One book that I have read recently that has influenced my thinking about leadership is Kathleen Cushman’s Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from High School Students (2003).  Across ten chapters, Cushman offers practical advice to novice and veteran teachers alike, drawn from and in the voice of teenagers.  The teens she has interviewed and workshopped with sound and write much like the students in typical New York City public high school.  In fact, I have heard many of the same critiques of secondary teaching and learning found in the book from my own students over the years. 

Reading this book reminds me that I need to always keep in the forefront of my decision making the students I serve.  This will be especially true as I move into formal school leadership roles and away from the classroom.  The earnest pleas from these students for positive relationships with adults, more authentic instruction, and an appreciation of their diverse learning styles reveals a strong desire for meaningful educational experiences.  It is imperative that my decisions as a school leaders are driven by these concerns.

The themes from the book are reflected in several ELCC standards.  Chapter 1 (“Knowing Students Well”), Chapter 2 (“Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness”), and Chapter 4 (“Creating a Culture of Success”) all speak to Standard 2.1: Promote Positive School Culture.  The students also call for rigorous instruction, advocating strategies that research shows to be effective, and are called for in Standard 2.3: Apply Best Practices to Student Learning.  Finally, this book helped me to think about the importance of responding to community interests and needs (Standard 4.2).  Our students are a diverse group of learners, and I must make sure that my practice reflects this diversity.

A second book that I have been revisiting recently and continues to have an impact on me is Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe’s classic, Understanding by Design (2005).  I find that Wiggins and McTighe give structure to curricular, unit, and lesson design that lays a solid foundation for the novice teacher and at the same time introduces rigor to planning for experienced educators (Standard 2.3: Apply Best Practices to Student Learning).  I intend to rely on this book as my school’s planning “bible,” and using it to help my teaching staff grow professionally (Standard 2.4: Design Comprehensive Professional Growth Plans). 

A third book that continues to shape my thinking about working with teens is Stephen Covey’s The 7  Habits of Highly Effective Teens (1998).  In the past, my schools have used this as the foundation for the advisory program.  I have also taught advisory with no set curriculum.  While I do have reservations about the relevance of some of the anecdotal stories in 7 Habits for the diverse teens in my classroom, I do think that the underlying principles provide a good foundation for the social-emotional learning that is necessary for all teens.  The Habits of Mind and Habits of Work used by many schools are similar to the 7 Habits; both promote a positive school culture (Standard 2.1) and incorporate best practices into the curriculum (Standard 2.3).  

References

Covey, S (1998). The 7 habits of highly effective teens.  New York, NY: FranklinCovey.

Cushman, K. (2003).  Fires in the bathroom: Advice for teachers from high school students.  New York, NY: The New Press.

Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J.  (2005).  Understanding by design (2^nd ed.).  Alexandria, VA: ASCD.