“Deborah Kenny talks a lot about passion — the passion for teaching, for reading and for learning. She has it. She wants all of her teachers to have it. Above all, she wants her students to have it.” —Bob Herbert (Photo: Dennis Sparks)
Bob Herbert’s recent New York Times column demonstrates the power of leaders’ clarity in achieving important results. Herbert quotes Deborah Kenny of the Harlem Village Academies:
“I had five core things in mind for my kids, and that’s what I want for our students,” she said. “I wanted them to be wholesome in character. I wanted them to be compassionate and to see life as a responsibility to give something to the world. I wanted them to have a sophisticated intellect. I wanted them to be avid readers, the kind of person who always has trouble putting a book down. And I raised them to be independent thinkers, to lead reflective and meaningful lives.”
Kenny provides an excellent example of the precision and succinctness of a leaders’ proverb-like clarity, a clarity that I believe is worthy of emulation by school leaders at all levels.
I want students to be life-long, independent thinkers; I want them to be intrinsically motivated and actively involved in their learning; I want students engaged in developmentally appropriate educational practices; I want students to feel safe, secure and enjoy their daily learning experiences!