Felt it was important to define spiritual leadership as it is being used in this blog. It is not the same thing as religion In fact, a person can be very religious without ever seeking spiritual principles to guide his/her life or circumstances.
There are true, unchanging PRINCIPLES that if unearthed can support research as well as direct it. True, unchanging principles sought after, discovered, and applied have the potential to make a difference for our diverse learners in a way nothing else can.
Therefore, not only does spiritual leadership not mean religion, it also has nothing to do with position or title. Anyone who has the courage, fortitude, and zeal to seek the hidden treasures of knowledge and wisdom (principles) related to multicultural education is employing and providing spiritual leadership.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Generous Listening
"You may be right." "That is an excellent point (or observation)." "I had never thought of it in that way." Who wouldn't like to hear words such as these after expressing a thought or idea? These kind of statements open up dialogue. From this kind of dialogue can come even richer and more beneficial conclusions.
Not only is this true for conversation, but it is also true for research. It can be quite disconcerting when research is used as a weapon or an opportunity to attack the work of someone else....and sometimes even going so far as name calling. When examining the work of others, it is important to be generous and resist the temptation to highlight its weaknesses and reject it because it represents a view different than one's own.
Being generous in no way means that one shouldn't observe with a critical eye. That is crucial. Yet, one is in a much better position to offer a differing point of view if one has first been generous.
Those of us who advocate for the importance of looking at education through the eyes of diverse learners and seeking ways to better serve them must set an example by generously listening to diverse voices, including those that are diametrically opposed to our voice,....and do so with the desire to understand. There is always the possibilty that we will discover "kernels of truth" that we can build upon to better serve our diverse learners.
Not only is this true for conversation, but it is also true for research. It can be quite disconcerting when research is used as a weapon or an opportunity to attack the work of someone else....and sometimes even going so far as name calling. When examining the work of others, it is important to be generous and resist the temptation to highlight its weaknesses and reject it because it represents a view different than one's own.
Being generous in no way means that one shouldn't observe with a critical eye. That is crucial. Yet, one is in a much better position to offer a differing point of view if one has first been generous.
Those of us who advocate for the importance of looking at education through the eyes of diverse learners and seeking ways to better serve them must set an example by generously listening to diverse voices, including those that are diametrically opposed to our voice,....and do so with the desire to understand. There is always the possibilty that we will discover "kernels of truth" that we can build upon to better serve our diverse learners.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)