Effective 21st-Century Educator

One of the articles in the email I received from NAESP (National Assn. for Elementary School Principals) this morning was "Five Characteristics of an effective 21st-century educator." The premise of this article was that not only do we need to prepare student to compete in a global economy but we need educators who can be effective in this century.

The Five Characteristics noted:

1. Anticipate the future: Prepare students for the world in which they will live, not the current world.
2. Is a lifelong learner: Embraces change and is willing to learn from colleagues and students
3. Fosters peer relationships: In this technology-driven era, it is more critical than ever than educators foster relationships with and between students so students can be effective in the workplace and fulfilled in their lives.
4. Can teach and assess all levels of learners: It is important that educators have the same 21st-century skills that the students are expected to have.
5. Is able to discern effective vs. non-effective technology: Technologies can help students learn more and faster but technologies also hold the potential for non-productive use if not used properly.

Manager Vs. Leader

I have been reading a fascinating book by Marcus Buckingham--The One Thing You Need to Know. In all my reading and research Buckingham has done the best job of differentiating a manager's role from a leader's role. He describes a manager's role as being a coach who figures out the best way to transform each employee's talents into performance. In other words, each employee's success is his focus. He describes the leader's role is rallying people to a better future that he sees. No matter how good things are at the moment, the leader is never satisfied with the status quo.

For an organization--like Esperanza--to be successful both roles are needed. One person can possibly fulfill both roles but it may take at least two people.