I've read a great book...actually a few great books on servant leadership, but this one stood out to me. The Servant Leader Within-A Transformative Path by Robert K. Greenleaf helped me think thoroughly, carefully and deliberately about how to best set up a department where I have the desire to build strong and professional relationships with fellow adults.

A resource teacher is an awfully precarious job. We hire and evaluate adults, we seek permission and invitation by fellow teachers and we typically work with the students who others may have wish to discard years ago. Because of this, a personal and professional philosophy is of utmost importance, because we must wear many hats and be many things to many people.

I continue to cling to the concept of servant leadership. Why wouldn't I? The undisputed best and most famous leader in the world was called Messiah, and was a servant to all. In the book, The Servant Leader Within, the author breaks the concept into 10 basic characteristics: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment and building community are sited as characteristics that will help you become a servant leader. In time, I hope to not just know, but embrace these characteristics so that my authentic self could be a servant leader.

The BackStage Manager pauses to Celebrate!

Often, when you work hard all year, you have no idea if there will be anything to show for it....but you work anyway.

I believe a resource teacher does the best job when they are not really seen by the parents or students. My goal, as a resource teacher is to always be available to both the teacher and the student, but to meet the educational need in the way that the teacher feels the most comfortable. Typically, that's consultative and collaborative. We are more like the backstage manager of a large production. Without the support, the actors and director would find their way through, but with the backstage manager, it's smoother, its better and its the way it should be. Because of this philosophy, parents rarely know that I am a part of the team of people caring for their child. The student and teacher receive the accolades, not the RT.

This week I received notes from parents who saw that behind the stage was someone caring for their child. Someone willing to meet the need how ever it looked. Sometimes it's buying a sandwich, sometimes it's tutoring. Other times it's an email home alerting the parents to an upcoming test. Finally, the caring can look like lending an understanding ear, and spreading the word so that the story only needs to be heard once.

I chose to add these Thank You letters because I believe it's important to celebrate. Would I have celebrated these successes anyway? You betcha! But isn't it fun to hear it from others....and how it inspires me to keep going on this journey!