Community-building with students
My career has been devoted to gaining better understanding of ways to support the growth and development of individuals and finding tools to facilitate this. My professional life began as a VISTA volunteer in Chicago working as a youth advocate and alternative high school teacher working with those whose life’s circumstances made them vulnerable (dropout of school) or they felt pushed out.
In all my leadership roles—teacher, principal, executive director, university program director, senior manager—I have found that a collaborative, participatory, egalitarian approach is best in facilitating commitment, growth and success. So, as the leader of the alternative high school, I was committed to collective decision-making which involved having all staff and students in the alternative school craft the rules every semester in an assembly. The result was always to increase the level of commitment.