by Jill Anderson
This past school year working with school leaders and educators from Texas and around the globe has been encouraging and inspiring to our team as we hear your incredible stories. Our blog, Baylor Center for School Leadership (BCSL) Insights, is a window into the world of our expert educators who authored most of the articles published. To encourage you as you enjoy summer and think about the school year ahead, we wanted to revisit some of the most-read articles.
We started off the school year in August with a message from two of our Fellows in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is a season for every activity under the heavens.” Jenny Brady, author of Starting with the Finish Line in Mind, tells her story of not finishing well and warns against the work of God in one’s life becoming a personal kingdom. She goes on to gives tips on how to end a season well when God is prompting a change. Anna Surratt, author of Maximizing Commitment in a Season of Change, quotes the same verse to give encouragement during change leadership. Surratt focuses on moving from buy-in to ownership in her article, citing that ownership is an invitation to committed action over time.
“Buy-in cannot be our aim,” Surratt says. “Asking teachers to buy-in is synonymous with the age-old metaphor of leading a horse to water and attempting to force the horse to drink.”
Meredith Frey, author of the article What To Do When You’re Not Loving It, appeals to us to reflect on the character of God and our call as educators during the tough days. Joy can be found in each day.
“I am continually reminded of Galatians 6:9 to restrengthen my purpose and hope,” Frey said. “‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’”
As a recurring theme throughout the year, Dr. Jon Eckert wrote Joy Through Struggle to emphasize that joy is the fuel to struggle well, and happiness is fleeting.
“Happiness depends on expectations. If something exceeds our expectations, we are grateful. If something does not meet our expectations, we are disappointed,” Eckert writes. “Joy is more transcendent than ephemeral happiness. Joy is not contingent on expectation. Instead, joy is a stance we take toward the world and others.”
This idea is grounded in scripture. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that “…for the joy set before Him, he endured the cross.”
“The savior of the world suffered for our joy,” Eckert says. “We can use this type of joy as our fuel to struggle well because joy is also the reward for that struggle.”
Surratt gives encouragements to weather the season in her article, The Middle Season: Thriving All the Way Through Change. She notes to maintain perspective, reflect and learn, celebrate mistakes, hold plans loosely, and share stories.
Quoting Rosabeth Moss Kanter from her Harvard Business Review article, Surratt reminds us that, “Everything looks like failure in the middle. Everyone loves inspiring beginnings and happy endings; it is just the middle that involves hard work.”
To accomplish the hard work well, Surratt writes that, “God’s design for us to be in relationship extends even into how we learn and grow collectively within the field of education.”
Kimberly Poe, author of the Insights article The Responsibility of Being Responsive, seems to agree with Surratt.
“We are in a day and age where division and negativity seem to be at an all-time high,” Poe writes. “As Christians and educators, we are called to interrupt anything that is not like Christ. I am reminded of Romans 12:16 that tells us to ‘live in harmony with one another.’”
Poe adds that her encouragement to educators is, “we see our students’ various cultural backgrounds and honor them, validate them, and affirm them. Simply put, love them. 1 Peter 3:8 says, ‘Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.’”
Joel Hazard, author of In Pursuit of Paul’s ‘I Became,’ notes that in 1 Corinthians 9:20-23, Paul outlines his strategic approach to evangelism, emphasizing the importance of adapting to diverse audiences.
“The apostle Paul’s ultimate goal was to guide individuals toward embracing faith in Christ by engaging with them on their own terms and making the message relatable,” Hazard says.
Hazard asks the question, “What leadership insights can we glean from these leaders who, like Paul, actively seek to empathize with and forge meaningful connections within and beyond their community with the hope of fostering unity?”
The answer? Take a proactive approach, create meaningful interactions, and demonstrate appreciation.
Living out Hazard’s words, the BCSL’s efforts expanded in unexpected ways this past year by being invited into communities around the world. In the article, Educational Leadership Through a Global Lens, the BCSL team talks about the opportunities to visit schools and speak in England, Canada, and Australia. The BCSL led Just Teaching leadership networks in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In December, a team led by Dr. Bill Sterrett, Chair of Educational Leadership and Co-Executive Director of the BCSL, visited Pakistan to help meet the call to support the inclusive development of all aspects of Pakistani society, fostering diversity and inclusion in civil society, empowering women and girls, and promoting interfaith and intra-faith harmony.
Hina Abel, Baylor PhD candidate in Higher Education Studies and Leadership and a Pakistan native, said, “We saw the impact of playing together throughout the workshops.”
The workshops in Pakistan were structured in a way that fostered insights on leadership concepts, sports teaching strategies, and time to play new sports together.
“Playing together undeniably lowers walls! We witnessed cultural boundaries being demolished,” Abel said. “Even if this happens briefly, mixed-gender practices impact the psyche by allowing humans to respect and learn from each other, grow together, laugh, and have fun.”
In the same vein, Mark Hobbs, author of the Insights article Mayday! Or May Day? Finding Purpose and Beauty in the Final Weeks of the School Year, shares ideas on how to navigate the remaining weeks of the school year with a sense of optimism and energy.
Hobbs urges educators to breathe and not react immediately to a situation. It might warrant a pause to pray and ask a peer. Ask questions and foster open-ended conversations that might allow someone the freedom to review their motivations behind why they made the decision they did. Celebrate the growth of your students over the year and look for the good in each person and in every situation.
“So rather than calling a Mayday, I am calling you to celebrate May Day, a time to acknowledge the growth made throughout the year,” Hobbs writes.
Ending on a promise, Dr. Bill Sterrett writes A Promise Kept, focusing Isaiah 61:1-3.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
Sterrett writes that as educators, may our joy be contagious.
“This promise from Isaiah, read – and kept – later by Jesus Christ, is indeed a comforting promise, especially amid tough times,” Sterrett said. “We can be very hopeful in knowing that God is faithful to his word, and we can play an important role in his kingdom purposes by drawing near to him, trusting him, and proclaiming his good news.”
Recapping this year’s articles has reminded our team that our community of school leaders are filled with rich advice that is soaked in scripture. What can give more hope than emulating the life of Christ? We hope you have a rejuvenating summer that will prepare you to continue spreading joy in your classrooms next year. We’re excited to see what the year ahead holds.
Jill Anderson joined the Baylor Center for School Leadership (BCSL) team in June 2023. With a background in marketing, communications and development, Jill loves to see the impact that authentically engaging with an audience has on growing and strengthening relationships between an organization and its constituents. Jill sees herself as a storyteller with the great opportunity to share the incredible work that Baylor is doing to make a positive impact in the world for future generations.
As Senior Director for the Center for School Leadership, Jill is excited to work alongside the team to enhance awareness of the BCSL’s research, professional learning events and improvement communities among educators worldwide.