21st Century Educational Leadership

Luke: 17: 11-21 As he continued his journey to Jerusalem he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Dear Readers, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC), 'Pro Plancio,' 54 B.C. This Thanksgiving, many of us will be gathered around a table. Most of us will be sitting

  The Stone  by Anthony de Mello An old woman had reached the outskirts of the village and settled down under a tree for the night when a villager came running up to her and said, “The stone! The stone! Give me the precious stone!” “What stone?” asked the old woman. “Last night the Lord appeared to me a dream,” said the villager, “and told me that if I went to the outskirts of the village at dusk I should find an old woman who would give me a precious stone that would make me rich forever.” The old woman rummaged in her bag and pulled out a stone. “The Lord probably meant this one,” she said, as she handed the stone over the villager. “I found it on a forest path some days ago. You can certainly have it. The villager looked at the stone in wonder. It was a diamond. Probably the largest diamond in the whole world for it was as large as a person’s head. The villager took the diamond and walked away. All night the villager tossed about in bed, unable to sleep. Next day at

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” -Einstein The need for 21st Century Learning may not be so '21st Century.' --I would say, it has been rediscovered as necessary in order for our children to be successful later in life. Although, Einstein was a product of the 19th century and offered his insights for the 20th Century, he continues to inspire us for the 21st Century. One only has to read his quotes to get a sense that this great thinker possessed the 'heart' and the 'mind' of what 21st Century Learning aspires to offer today's students. How about this one... “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”  ~ Albert Einstein Ouch! As I read his words I find myself secretly agreeing with Albert, even though I've been an educator for over 25 year. I guess, I was kind of like that 'fish' that never

A charism is a living gift, a breath of the creator Spirit at the service of a dynamic history that is never simple repetition of the past.                                 -The Holy Family of Bordeaux A Catholic School’s Mission is ‘incarnated,’ so to speak, within the ‘message’ of a Faith Community’s charism and is brought to life when the story and the traditions of that community are intentionally celebrated and proclaimed. The School of the Madeleine’s Advisory Board and Parent community took an innovative and bold ‘marketing’ step, this past school year, when they became convinced to start proclaiming the school’s Mission and to stop merely producing promotional materials. As a result of this vision the parent leadership brought to life the ‘story and the traditions’ of the Madeleine’s Catholic Mission and has attracted many new families to community. How? By publishing an Annual Report that embodies the school’s Mission and Charism. The argument might be raise

Memorializing Your Mission: Empowering Students to Use 21st Century Skills to Author Your School's Yearbook and Classroom Projects. -Ken Willers, Principal • School of the Madeleine “In 21 st Century Learning, students use educational technologies to apply knowledge to new situations, analyze information, collaborate, solve problems, and make decisions.” –British Columbia Ministry of Education. As a team of educators of a Catholic elementary school, our vision is to foster and create an environment conducive for 21 st Century learning. Our vision is one that builds on the strengths of our colleagues while taking advantage of emerging technologies to provide expanded learning opportunities that will be critical to the success of future generations.  Our vision, however, is not limited only to the learning taking place within the walls where direct instruction happens, but expands to include the learning experience that occurs beyond the classroom. For the purpose of