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 head:  EDUCATIONAL  PHILOSOPHY                                                                                                                                                    1  

Educational Philosophy

Kathryn Carion

Oakland University
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Embarking on a journey of being an educational leader requires many personal

and professional characteristics. Students’ education and well-being should always be put

first, along with staff members. I believe in building relationships within the school

community. Along with relationships, I believe in creating a positive school community,

one where students, parents, and staff feel welcomed and cared for. As an educational

leader, I see myself as an advocate. One who cares for her students and staff with the

upmost respect and care. With these aspirations, I envision myself as both a servant and

transformational leader.

Fostering relationships with students, staff, and parents is a priority of mine as an

educational leader. As an educational leader, I believe that students need a leader who is

engaged in their learning just as much as them. Being involved in student learning creates

a special bond and students feel that their learning is valued and cared about. I also

believe in creating open dialogue with students and giving students opportunities to share

their concerns and thoughts about what is going on within the school. This open dialogue

concept gives both the educational leader and students the opportunity to form

relationships with each other. Leaders of education institutions also need to build

relationships with their staff. Creating a professional and personal relationship with staff

members builds a sense of trust and care. Being an educational leader requires conducting

staff observations and giving feedback based on those observations. Having a positive

relationship with staff members will allow for positive and constructive feedback that

will give staff the confidence to grow in their teaching practice. Focusing and creating

these staff relationships leads to a more collaborative work environment. As an

educational leader, I also believe in creating relationships with parents. This could be as
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simply as sending out a weekly newsletter to all parents regarding what is going on

around the school during the week. I also believe in creating learning opportunities for

parents, so they too can be involved and engaged in their child’s learning. Helping in

creating relationships between teachers and parents is important as well. Both teachers

and parents have the same focus for a child, which is their education. The following

quote is an excerpt from the journal, Creating Synergy in the Schoolhouse: Changing

Dynamics among Peer Cohorts will Drive the Work of School Systems by Suzette Lovely

(2005), who highlights the current parent- teacher relationship and the role an educational

leader plays.

Contemporary parents and contemporary school employees have more in

common than some might like to believe. Both are adamant that their opinions

and desires be heeded. Both want children to grow up to be well-rounded,

productive citizens. Both are devoted to student learning and improvement so

each successive generation has the chance for a better future than the one before

it. As with any flourishing partnership, each side needs to do its part. For school

leaders, it's about alignment, not alienation and about maestro instead of

machismo.

This quote stood out to me because I do believe that educational leaders need to help

foster those parent-teacher relationships, but cannot have total control. I also believe that

all parties do have the students’ best interest involved.

As an educational leader, I believe in forging the relationships mentioned above

into an inviting school community. A place in which students, as well as staff, feel safe,

valued, and welcomed. Building a school community is a difficult task and includes
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many components. In the article, Building School Communities: An Experienced Based

Model, Westheimer and Kahne (1993), state a community as being “a process marked by

interaction and deliberation among individuals who share interests and commitment to

common goals. They pursue these goals collectively, building on the distinct talents and

capacities of members” (p. 325). This explanation speaks many volumes in how a school

community is developed in the fact that there is a common goal: education. In The Boss

of the Whole School Effective Leadership in Action, Hebert (2006), discusses the habits

and rituals principals can create to make a school an inviting, welcoming place among the

chaos. Hebert (2009) explains, “…these habits and rituals model values that principals

wish to highlight in support of promoting a humane and thoughtful school atmosphere. In

that way a principal’s habits can serve as a model for rituals and traditions that assert

control over a school’s culture and stabilize the entire school’s energies” (p.26).

Educational leaders have the ability to change the entire school culture by one simple act,

such as greeting students at the door each morning or doing morning rounds in the

classrooms. Habits like these create a positive and welcoming school community. Parents

should also feel and be a part of the community and know that their children’s education

and well-being is the highest priority, as it should be. A school should be a place where

equitable practices are put in place and all students are receiving the best education

possible. As an educational leader, I believe in fostering a sense of trust between

students, staff, and parents within the school community. Creating this trust builds a

community in which all stakeholders feel that they are valued and cared for. Hosting

school events in which staff, students and parents can come together also helps to foster a
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sense of community within the school. I believe that these events give the school

community a chance to come together, socialize, and build relationships with each other.

As an educational leader, I envision myself as an advocate for students and staff.

I see myself as an advocate for students by being their cheerleader, one who not only

cares about their academics, but their well-being. I see myself making connections and

building relationships with students in a way so that they know I value their learning and

them as a person. I see myself as an advocate for staff members in a variety of ways.

Offering support to staff in their teaching practices or whatever else may come up in the

classroom. In Leading Change in your School, Reeves (2009) states, “Educators are

drowning under the weight of initiative fatigue- attempting to use the same amount of

time, money, and emotional energy to accomplish more and more objectives” (p.14). This

is a very true statement and as an advocate for staff, I feel that I need to do what is best

for my staff to make their workload and stress level low. As an advocate I also see

myself allowing staff to experiment and grow in their teaching practices and taking

interest in it. Being an educational leader encompasses many different roles and

responsibilities, but being an educational leader who is an advocate and truly cares and

supports all students and all staff is in my opinion, is essential.

Being an educational leader is a complex, yet rewarding venture. I believe in

being an advocate for students and staff members and creating relationships that lead to

positive, impactful communities. These components blend together to lead to an authentic

leadership experience, in which Stephenson (1998) states that the leader has a greater

sense of self-awareness and they project positive self-regulated behaviors (Stephenson,

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2011, p. 323). I look forward to one day having the opportunity to take on a leadership

role in the education realm in whatever capacity it many present itself in.

Works Cited

Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (1993). Building School Communities: An Experience-

Based Model. The Phi Delta Kappan, 75(4), 324-328. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20405093

Reeves, D. B. (2009). Leading change in your school: how to conquer myths, build
commitment, and get results. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.

Stephenson, L. (2011). Developing a Leadership Education Framework: A

Transformative Leadership Perspective.Counterpoints, 409, 321-341. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/42981314

Lovely, S. (2005). Creating Synergy in the Schoolhouse: Changing Dynamics among

Peer Cohorts will Drive the Work of School Systems. The School Administrator, 62(8),
30.

Hebert, E. A. (2006). “The boss of the whole school”: effective leadership in action. New
York, NY: Teachers College Press.