Topics

• Qualities of great leadership

  • Dr. Barlow emphasized that leaders are relational, relaxed, intentional and reflective. He also reminded us that as developing leaders we need to be vulnerable and stay in the moment in order to discover our strengths and weaknesses.

• Leadership is a journey.

  • Dr. Barlow truly spoke to the journey we were embarking on when he stated that as we develop as leaders we learn to handle hard better. He emphasized that life never gets easier but as we go through life we are able to deal with adversity in a more adept manner because of previous experiences.

• Leadership impacts students.

  • The most important part, to me, of Dr. Barlows talk was when he talked about renting versus owning our classrooms and journeys. Someone who owns their car will go the extra mile but someone who rents may turn it in early. Those of us who commit to owning will go further on our journeys towards great leadership--- especially if we commit to owning our classrooms.

Major Point

• "It's not about me"

  • This talk has been my drive throuhout this entire year. I started this school year doing a lot of extra "stuff" that was mostly for me--- TAL, Coach Endorsement, PhD classes, but as the school year has gone on I've been reminded that the reason I come to work every day is not because of me and how smart I am. It's not about me, it's about my students. TAL is the only program I'm still currently completeing because it's about leading my students and it's the only program that reminded me constantly why I'm a teacher.

Importance to Teacher Leadership

• Owning your classroom

• Owning your leadership

• Consider what you bring to the lives of others.