A Platform of Beliefs

Transcription

1 A Platform of Beliefs How Mindfulness, Critical Thinking, and Optimism Will Change the World Breana Abbott Bayraktar EDUC 802/Dr. Bauer 5/6/2010

2 EDUC 802: Platform of Beliefs, Breana Bayraktar 1 Before this class, I struggled in many ways with thinking and talking about leadership because it seems like these stories are in many ways mired in western notions of manhood, of nobility, and of battle. [I still struggle! But then you know that.] Although the Great Man theory may have fallen out of favor among historians, it seems that we still think and talk about leaders as personalities, as Great Men. [That's very true.] Further, although there are many examples of great female leaders, I always questioned the utility of having women in leadership positions if they led in the same way that their male predecessors did. If not to bring to the table a fresh view of the world, forged in their unique experiences as women, what purpose does a female in a leadership position serve, except as a false proof of an organization moving forward and changing? The real change is not that there is a woman leading, but that she leads differently or in a different direction. Faced with this frustration, western instantiations of leadership have not resonated with me, and this is particularly true in the context of schools. Should we think of the interactions between teachers and administrators as a battle over power? Is the classroom mere enactment of economic principles, and are students then product for the free market, or cannon fodder? [If you listen to present-day reformers, this is especially troubling. It's all as simple as creating competition, right?] There is a great deal about how people communicate, care, co-operate, and create that was missing from my beginning concepts of leadership. Through the readings, class discussions and activities, and reflection on my personal beliefs, I have identified three core values that I think are powerful shapers of what a leader should be and do: mindfulness, critical thinking, and optimism. Mindfulness Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. Ralph Waldo Emerson

3 EDUC 802: Platform of Beliefs, Breana Bayraktar 2 My father had a calligrapher write out the above quote, and had it framed, long before I was born. All my life, this print has followed us from house to house, city to city, and now it hangs in my home. These words are what come to mind when I think of my first core value of mindfulness. Based in the meditative traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism, mindfulness is the act of being fully present in everything you do. It is more than remembering to stop and smell the roses, because it, ideally, is not something that you do only when you remember to do so. It is cultivating the awareness in yourself of yourself, and learning to face the world with all senses open. It is: to establish attention in the present moment, and to allow ourselves to be with what is here. To rest in the awareness of what is here. To pay attention without trying to change anything (Brantley). For me, this immediacy of engaging with the world on its own terms, and knowing and being with what is before thinking about what should be, has direct implications on my practice as a teacher and as a leader. Mindfulness, however, is not simply living in the moment. Rather, it is about awareness of the moment in the sense of the context and perspective of our actions (Langer & Moldoveanu, 2000, p.1). It challenges us to no longer rely on distinctions and categories drawn in the past so that we are able to see each interaction in a new light, rather than through the lens of past routine (Langer & Moldoveanu, 2000, p.2). In the face of modern notions of automaticity, multi-tasking, and efficiency, my goal of mindfulness balances thinking one step ahead of my students with really hearing what they are saying in the moment and seeking to perfect my understanding of who and how they are, in that moment. Striving towards mindfulness means cultivating a core of calm and of joy which, I hope, tempers my thoughts and actions and makes me a better teacher and leader. Critical Thinking

4 EDUC 802: Platform of Beliefs, Breana Bayraktar 3 The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates I cannot remember the first time I read this aphorism by Socrates, but I know that I must have been fairly young, because I distinctly remember using this quote in a debate competition when I was in eighth grade. I m quite sure that I was not actually reading Socrates at that time, but somewhere I found this quote. I was then, and continue to be, struck by this idea, that the unexamined life is not worth living. How I examine my life, process and criteria, has changed over the years, thankfully, and yet throughout I have found a place for self-examination. To me, this is not at the level of thinking about oneself and one s experiences, but probes deeper into honestly, objectively, stepping outside of oneself to view the self as an other. As a complement to the in-the-momentness of my previous core value, here critical thinking leads to transforming what is into that which can be objectively reflected on as outside of the self. [These fit together well - and remind me of Donald Schön's work on reflective practice (in a way)]. The more a leader can think critically about who they are and how they act and react, the more about themselves is in the place of object; that which is still subject is that which cannot be identified and thought about as separate from the self (Kegan, 1982). Aside from implications for personal development, the ability to think critically about both yourself and those around you helps you to be a better leader by giving you clarity about the truths and limitations of a situation. Optimism "People who think critically consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably and empathically. They are keenly aware of the inherently flawed nature of human thinking when left unchecked They embody the Socratic principle: The unexamined life is not worth living, because they realize that many unexamined lives together result in an uncritical, unjust, dangerous world" (Elder).

5 EDUC 802: Platform of Beliefs, Breana Bayraktar 4 Thinkers do not accept the inevitable; they turn their efforts toward changing it. Paramahansa Yogananda Despite the apparent paradox in changing the inevitable, I believe that this is exactly what leaders who value optimism do. Holding the belief that people are good, and do good, and that there is a natural human drive to live in harmony with others and work towards positive ends, and maintaining this belief in the face of evidence to the contrary, is a challenge to anyone. To be an effective leader, particularly in the context of schools, you must believe that you are not rowing against the tide of your colleagues, but that you all row together. You must believe deeply that all students can learn and that all teachers can facilitate learning, and that the leader s job is to arrange the conditions so that those two things happen. Optimism allows and encourages both being in the moment and accepting the flawed nature of human thinking, and indeed the flawed nature of humans. Pairing this understanding and acceptance with the drive to be the change they wish to see happen in the world, optimistic leaders are uniquely capable of inspiring those around them. My three core values are defined from a place of valuing understanding of self before attempting to understand those around you, from the basic point of view that being a leader is about who you are before it is about what you do. Mindfulness and critical thinking provide the necessary focus on, and space for, this understanding of self that any leader needs in order to become a great leader. Optimism provides the third leg without which a leader can become mired in self; optimism by design is about hoping for the best and taking action in the world around you by being an active, engaged participant. I strive, then, to be a mindful leader who is fully present in every moment, to think critically about my path and how it converges with the paths of others, and to embrace the optimism that is so powerful in generating and inspiring change in the world around me.

6 EDUC 802: Platform of Beliefs, Breana Bayraktar 5 Works Cited: Brantley, J. (n.d). Mindfulness. Duke Center for Integrative Medicine. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from Elder, Linda. (2007). Definition of Critical Thinking. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from Kegan, R. (1983). The Evolving Self: Problem and Process in Human Development. Harvard University Press, Langer, E.J., & Moldoveanu, M. (2000). The Construct of Mindfulness. Journal of Social Issues, 56(1). 1-9.

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