Honoring the art of leadership

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P. Fred Storti, MESPA Executive Director

March 2008 --
Report from MESPA Executive Director P. Fred Storti

"As we juggle the critical balance between professional and personal life, where do we find the energy to be top-flight instructional leaders for our students, staff and families?"

You hold in your hands one of my favorite Advocate issues. It is my favorite because it honors many of our esteemed colleagues, and it highlights some of the numerous accomplishments of our principals. “Some” is the operative word here, since these examples are truly just the “tip of the iceberg” of the courageous leadership our principals demonstrate on a daily basis. On February 7, during our annual awards banquet at the MESPA Institute, we took the opportunity to honor 50 of our outstanding principals. Now, enjoy the opportunity to read about them in this issue and celebrate their leadership. Congratulations to all award recipients. You have shown us “Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.” (Albert Schweitzer) Thank you for inspiring us all.

As I reflect on the accomplishments of our dedicated principals and on our 53rd Institute’s theme Changes, Challenges, and Connections, I find it no coincidence that our principals model framing changes, facing challenges and forming connections that create quality schools. No shortage of changes and challenges exists in schools today.

We know change is ever present and always necessary. “Everything changes but change itself. (John Fitzgerald Kennedy)
We know that challenges are what we face everyday. “Life is a challenge. Meet it.” (Mother Teresa)
And we know that connections are the way we move forward. “It is easy to get the players. Getting them to play together, that’s the hard part.” (Casey Stengel)

Putting all three “Cs” together, that is the art of leadership. This Advocate showcases some of these artists and their art.

As we move into spring, seize every opportunity to make the critical connections that lead to instructional leadership and outstanding schools. Continue to find new ways to make the connections with our students, our parents, our staffs, our communities, and our colleagues. The more we make these connections, the clearer the changes and challenges become and the better our schools will be!

While we are on the subject of “sparking” connections…
During a recent conversation with David Walsh, he suggested I read Spark by John J. Ratey. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain tells us how to supercharge our mental circuits to sharpen our thinking, lift our mood, and boost our memory. Wow! What a connection to make during March, the time of year principals are making tough decisions about staffing, budgeting, and planning for next year while also preparing for the high-stakes testing season. And with the looming budget deficit, we will again be asked to do more with less -- and the stress on the principal increases.

As we juggle the critical balance between professional and personal life, where do we find the energy to be top-flight instructional leaders for our students, staff and families? Ratey says the answer is exercise.

In this book, the author demonstrates exactly how and why physical activity is crucial to the way we think and feel. He explains how aerobic exercise prepares our brain to learn, improves our mood and attention, lowers stress and anxiety, helps stave off addiction, controls hormonal change, and guards against, and even reverses, some of the effects of aging on the brain.

Ratey also addresses the important relationship between student success and exercise, and he includes compelling examples of exercise and improved student achievement. In Spark, Ratey makes the point that exercise is the single most powerful tool you have to optimize your brain function.

Make the connection!

Mission: The Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association is dedicated to promoting and improving education for children and youth, strengthening the role as educational leader for elementary and middle level principals, and collaborating with partners in education to assist in achieving these goals.

Leading schools toward excellence through the MESPA vision to be the premiere resource for preparing today's principals for tomorrow and a strong leading voice for public education.

Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association

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