Running head: A PLACE FOR ALL PEOPLE 1

A Place for All People

Rolanda A. Eadie

City University

EEA 535 Dimensions of Educational Leadership

Dr. Gloria Antifaiff

A PLACE FOR ALL PEOPLE 2

Abstract

Leadership is very complicated and there are many qualities as well as skill sets needed to be an

effective leader. It is important to look at successful leaders to learn of the philosophy, skills and

traits that help an individual to be successful in their leadership pursuit. A leader who is effective

can inspire and lead a group of individuals towards a common vision by utilizing all the skillsets

of the people in the organization. An educational leader will know if they are successful if the

people that they are responsible for follow them. All leadership starts with a person’s leadership

philosophy. There are critical roles that are played out daily and a place for all people in our

education system.
A PLACE FOR ALL PEOPLE 3

A Place for All People

Philosophy

A person’s educational philosophy is determined by everything that has happened to them

in a lifetime. Starting from birth, nature vs. nurture both determine a person’s being. According

to Dewy, “This process begins unconsciously almost at birth, and is continually shaping the

individual's powers, saturating his consciousness, forming his habits, training his ideas, and

arousing his feelings and emotions. (Dewey, 1897, article 5 par. 14-15.) Therefore, every

person’s philosophy on education, is very personal and unique. The most important parts of my

philosophy include the traits and skillset that I aspire to have and my belief about children.

Traits

It is easy to list a whole multitude of traits that a good leader must have but I believe that

the most important trait is integrity. Integrity is “The quality of being honest and having strong

moral principles.” (English Dictionary, 2018). In the King James Bible, Christ taught about

having integrity during his sermon on the mount, with who he deemed to be blessed in Mathew

5. Blessed are the poor in spirit, they that mourn, the meek, those that hunger and thirst after

righteousness, those who are merciful, are pure in heart, and are peacemakers. (Matthew 5: 3-9

The King James version) When a leader has integrity, trust can be established. Whether a person

is a teacher, or leader, it is imperative to have integrity. “I believe that every teacher should

realize the dignity of his calling; that he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of proper

social order and the securing of the right social growth.” (Dewey, 1897, p. 80)
A PLACE FOR ALL PEOPLE 4

Skillsets

I believe the most important skillset that a leader can have is emotional intelligence.

Components of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and

social skill not being about simply controlling your anger or getting along with people. "Rather it

means understanding your own and other people's emotional makeup well enough to move

people in the direction of accomplishing your company's goals.” (Goleman (1999, p. 9)

When our emotional intelligence is high, we can read body language and get subtle cues

that can help us pick up on another person’s feelings. I believe that it is imperative that leaders

take inventory of the feelings and the perception of the people that they lead. This inventory can

take place in many ways such as talking one on one, emails, phone calls and leadership surveys

and it is important to understand the way to communicate the most clearly and effectively for

each person that you are working with. (T. Bowman, personal communications, March 7, 2018)

Belief about Children

I believe that all kids want to do well and if they can do well they will. (Green, 2017) I

also believe that if a student forms a good relationship with his teacher and the work is

differentiated properly for a student’s level, the student will reach his highest potential and

unwanted behaviors will be minimal. (Wormeli, 2011)

In conclusion, my educational leadership philosophy is that a leader with integrity,

emotional intelligence and truly believes in children will be the most effective and successful.

Leaders as learners need to be reflective and resilient. (Allison, 2011) We are all in this world

together and need to learn how to value, respect, and truly care about each other. There is a place

for all people in our education system. “Education is not preparation for life; education is life

itself.” (Dewey, 1938)

A PLACE FOR ALL PEOPLE 5

References

Allison, E. (2011). The resilient leader. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development.

Bowman, T. (2018). Personal communications. Ponoka Elementary School.

Dewey, J. My pedagogic creed. School Journal vol. 54 (January 1897), pp. 77-80

English Oxford Dictionary. (2018). Definition of integrity. Retrieved from

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/integrity

Green, R. (2017). Lives in the balance. Retrieved from

https://www.livesinthebalance.org/about-cps

Goleman, D. (1999). "Emotional intelligence" key to leadership. Health Progress, 80(2), 9.

Retrieved from http://proxy.cityu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.proxy.cityu.edu/docview/274438810?accountid=1230

Heroanto. N. (2016). History and philosophical essay: John Dewey. Retrieved from
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/history-philosophy-essay-john-dewey-novia-heroanto/

Holy Bible (1983). KJV classic reference bible. Matthew 5 vs 3-9. USA: The Zondervan
Corporation.

Wormeli, R. (2011). Differentiated instruction: Setting the pedagogy straight. Middle

Ground, 15(2), 39-40. Retrieved from http://proxy.cityu.edu/login?url=https://search-
proquest-com.proxy.cityu.edu/docview/926389956?accountid=1230