WISDOM OF HEADS VIII
As teachers we tend to love quotes. We use them in lessons. We decorate classrooms and corridors with them. We base assemblies around them.
As you will probably have experienced, school leaders often have a ‘bank’ of quotes they like to use. You know, the ones that are parroted, satirised and subverted in the staffroom.
But, leaders adopt and use quotes for a purpose. Quotes give us voice when our own words fail us. Quotes provide a springboard for thoughts, arguments and debates. Quotes can summarise and encapsulate discussion, providing punctuation, levity or insight.
Quotes can be, and often are, over used. But, the wise Head knows when a quote is appropriate. Here are some favourites.
Quotes from the school leaders themselves:
“It’s all about the students.”
“Put yourself in the shoes of the students.”
“Ask three questions of any decision. First, does it help learning? Secondly, does it impact on safety? Finally, is it within budget? Always in that order.”
“If a school rule can’t be justified and explained, it shouldn’t be a school rule.”
“Teachers teach the way they were taught, unless they have effective professional development.”
“Get up, dress up, turn up.”
“You’re only as good as those you lead.”
“Walk the talk; you are being watched all the time.”
“Don’t look back, you ain’t going that way.”
“What is more effective, one person saying the same thing a 1,000 times or a 1,000 people saying the same thing once?”
“Whenever you face difficulty, that this is the time to shine. Difficulty is a disguised blessing for school leaders if faced positively.”
“It’s often easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.”
“Enjoy the experience.”
Quotes by educational thinkers, researchers and philosophers:
“There are so many! Here are the first three that spring to mind:
1. Perfect is the enemy of good — Voltaire: We can often undo much excellence in the pursuit of perfection.
1. The rock in the river is the river — a reminder that the difficulties in the journey is an important part of that journey.
1. “And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.” — after beating Jimmy Connors at the January 1980 Masters; Gerulaitis had lost their previous 16 matches.”
“The task of education is not to teach subjects: it is to teach students.” Ken Robinson, Out of Our Minds.
“The fundamental work of a school leader is simple: engender and sustain the best possible environment for teaching and learning… Hire the best teachers you can find, support them in every way possible, help them grow, evaluate them fairly, set and exemplify high expectations for everyone, and create and insist on a climate and culture where students feel safe, known, and challenged. That’s the only vision a Principal needs.” John Ritchie (2013)
“Accept the things you cannot change; have the courage to change the things that need to be changed, however unpopular, and have the wisdom to know the difference.”
“As teachers we are in a unique position to offer to our students not just our capacity to impart knowledge and skills, but our essence as people”. Daniel Siegel, The Mindful Brain (2007)
Famous quotes, by famous people:
“Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.”Jimi Hendrix
“If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” Doc Brown, Back to the Future (1985)
“I have the power to create or destroy.” Hein Ginott
“The gardener does not make a plant grow. The job of a gardener is to create optimal conditions for growth” Robinson. “The more expertise and experience people gain, the more entrenched they become in the way they view things. We become prisoners of our prototypes.” Eric Dane
“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” John le Carre
‘All models are wrong, but some are useful.’ George EP Box
“but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
And, one contra view:
“I really don’t like quotes. If I hear Gandhi again I think I will cry. Talking is not always the best leadership facet. Listening, I believe, is a far better.”
The full ‘Wisdom of Heads’ book can be purchased here (Amazon US), here (Amazon UK) or here (iBooks).
