Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Administrative Leadership

Jason D Scheer

Schools exist for the purpose of encouraging the growth and development of children. Therefore, all decisions affecting a school community must start with the question, “What is best for our students?” Schools can often get sidetracked by the needs of adults, but the administrator’s job is to make sure that this simple question is always at the forefront of any discussion of what to do or how to do it. Under the umbrella of this focusing question, I see three roles that the administrator serves in the school community: leading towards academic excellence, developing community, and sharing vision.
While there are many activities that surround schools and occupy our students, at the core is academic growth and challenge within the classroom. Administrators lead in this area first by selecting the teachers who fit the school’s mission. Teachers must have a demonstrated passion for their subject matter, a passion for learning, and an ability to share these passions with students. Secondly, administrators are responsible for creating a culture where faculty are encouraged to be creative and to take risks in the service of their students. Even the most seasoned teacher has something to learn and an area for growth. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity throughout my administrative career to spend a portion of each day teaching. Whether I was discussing the lives of the disciples with my 6h grade Bible class or teaching seniors about endangered species in AP Environmental Science, my time in the classroom has been an oasis where I am filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing connections and growth in the minds of my students. My time in the classroom is a springboard to my administrative work as it reminds me of the needs and heart of children and gives me buy-in from the faculty who know that I am engaging in the hard work of the classroom. Teaching gives me the perspective I need to stay focused on making administrative decisions that benefit students.
 
Second to being a center for academic learning, schools are communities where students, faculty, and parents learn how to live and thrive together. If schools fail to teach students to live together, then they have truly failed to prepare them for the world because seldom is good work done in isolation. Administrators impact community development first by admitting students who are a good fit for the school’s mission and values. It is impossible to be all things to all people and an institution that tries is certainly doomed to mission drift and mediocrity; the admissions committee has a big responsibility in shaping community. Secondly, school administrators, through programing activities such as athletics and arts, give the community an opportunity to learn how to work together to accomplish a shared goal. Administrators work in the background of these activities, ensuring that the right faculty are hired to lead and ensuring that the school facilities create the environment necessary for community growth, and in the foreground setting vision for how extracurricular activities connect to the mission of the school.

Perhaps the most important role of the school administrator is casting vision of what could and should be. Without leadership in this area the school is adrift, pushed by the varied opinions and passions of the most vocal members of the school. Vision should connect to the school’s mission statement as outlined by the board of trustees and should lead the school community to work together to create an environment where students thrive. The administrator has responsibility to both listen to the members of the community and to hold true to the mission that makes the school unique. Ultimately it is shared vision that encourages a community to use its collective gifts and talents to make a positive difference in the lives of students and, eventually, the world.
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Casady School is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory, Episcopal day school serving students in pre-k-12. Educating Mind, Body, and Spirit.
Casady School is a PreK-12, independent, college preparatory Episcopal day school committed to deeper-level learning. Casady School welcomes a student body that reflects the diversity of the world around us and therefore does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletics, and other school-administered programs generally accorded or made available to students at the School.