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.