At the end of the introductions to each collection, we provide a set of questions to guide your reading, reflection, and discussion of stories. We crafted these questions so that they may be readily adapted to individual reading and reflection, group discussion, leader preparation and professional development, and joint administrator-staff work in schools. Each set of questions is organized into three subsets. The first subset contains questions to promote general understanding of caring, its key elements, and its expression through action and interaction. The second contains questions to develop understanding of the particular practices within each collection. The third subset contains questions to promote reflection upon and application of practices in the stories to readers’ own situations. These questions ask readers to compare their own assumptions, biases, and practices with those reflected in the stories. They ask readers to consider context and how stories might play out similarly or differently in their own situations. They ask readers how they might answer the question that is the title of the long-running ABC television series What Would You Do? if presented with situations in the stories.
Our questions were inspired by a number of authors and teachers, such as Gordon Donaldson, Robert Garmston, Parker Palmer, and Donald Schön. We favored questions that direct readers toward understanding and meaning, and that push readers toward personal and professional reflection.
Many writers of teaching case materials propose a rational sequence of steps for case analysis. Generally, these steps begin with understanding the facts and establishing what happened in the case. Readers are then asked to define the problem of the case, diagnose the causes of that problem, search for and assess alternative ways to address the problem, decide upon a course of action, and finally reflect upon the likely outcomes of that action. Along the way, readers are asked to consider rationales for their responses. There is merit in applying such an approach to working with the stories in this book. At the same time, not all the stories lend themselves well. Sometimes such an approach fails to encourage personal or emotional engagement and reflection. Moreover, we recognize that school leaders often think quite differently about real-life problems and situations of practice and may employ other approaches effectively. With this in mind, we designed our questions to invite and support a wide range of mindsets and strategies to engage the stories.
Finally, we hope that you find these stories enjoyable to read, that you find them challenging, and that you find them reaffirming of the importance of caring in school leadership. We hope that you find them illuminating, instructive, and inspirational.
Acknowledgments
This book is inspired by scores of practicing educators with whom we have worked in schools and in our classrooms. It is also inspired by the K–12 students who we see prosper in schools when they are both challenged and cared for.
We are deeply grateful to those practicing and retired educators and others who contributed stories to this book. We are indebted to the following persons, listed alphabetically, who shared their stories with us and gave us permission to share them with you:
Jacob Bellissimo, Renee Blahuta, Melissa Brock, Maya Bugg, Mary Bussman, Heather Byrd, Kristin Cantrell, Beth Cohen, Michael Cormack, TJ D’Agostino, Miah Daughtery, Lora Dever, Clinton Dowda, Vince Durnan, Jonathan Ellwanger, Andrea Evans, Abigail Felber-Smith, Kim Finch, Richard Frank, Ari Frede, Lauren Gage, Chris George, Nick Gesualdi, Joseph Goins, Andrew Goltermann, Cathey Goodgame, Heather Harris, William Hayes, Victoria Hollis, Robyn Huemmer, Jordan Hughes, Catherine Humphrey, Jeni Irwin, Avery Kenly, Kristyn Klei-Borrero, Debra Klein, Peggy Korellis, John Marshall, Matt Matthews, Cathy McGehee, Matt Miller, Alecia Mobley, Peter Monaghan, Monique Morris, Milton Nettles, Melinda Novotny, Emily Lilja Palmer, Julie Pavlini, Alice Phillips, Carolyn Probst, Renee Racette, Jake Rodgers, Ken Roumpos, Maisha Rounds, Matt Rush, Beatriz Salgado, Molly Sehring, Lisa Shalla, Julie Shively, Josh Simmons, Nicolle Smith, Chase Spong, Sonia Stewart, Nancy Strawbridge, Malia Turnbull, Jennifer Vest, Laura Vilines, Joan White, Ingrid Wilson, Jacquelyn Wilson, Tracy Wilson, Chris Winningham, Nancy Wong, Amy Woodson, Jim Woywod, Mary Yeboah, and Carol Young
We thank Lauren Gage, Avi Lessing, and Alicia Reese for their invaluable assistance to elicit student artwork for this book. We thank Anna Caldwell for editing and preparing many of these drawings for publication. Personal appreciation is extended to Sallie Smylie for her keen eye, critical perspective, patience and good humor, and sense of the whole puzzle we were trying to assemble as we were focused on individual pieces.
We thank Desirée Bartlett, Ariel Curry, Eliza Erickson, Janet Kiesel, Megan Markanich, and Corwin for help to bring this book to life. We are particularly grateful to Arnis Burvikovs for taking the chance on this project and for his steadfast support throughout.
Finally, we are ever so grateful to our families for their love, caring, and support.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
Corwin gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following individuals:
Elizabeth Alvarez, Chief of Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, IL
Neil MacNeil, Headmaster
Ellenbrook Independent Primary School
Ellenbrook, Western Australia
Angela Mosley, Principal
Essex High School
Tappahannock, VA
Catherine Sosnowski, Associate Professor, MAT program
Central Connecticut State University
New Britain, CT
Christian Zimmerman, Dean of Students
South Fort Myers High School
Fort Myers, FL
About the Authors