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Professional Reading - 3

This summary outlines key points from an academic journal article about moral leadership for educational leaders. It discusses three principles that intertwine morals and strong leadership: self-knowledge, balance, and systems thinking. The first principle of self-knowledge refers to a leader knowing their own values and acting consistently with integrity. The second principle of balance means considering both justice and care ethics equally. The third principle of systems thinking requires leaders to see the school community as interconnected and rely on collaborative relationships. The reflection then applies these ideas to the importance of balancing justice and care through strong relationships between principals and staff.

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174 views

Professional Reading - 3

This summary outlines key points from an academic journal article about moral leadership for educational leaders. It discusses three principles that intertwine morals and strong leadership: self-knowledge, balance, and systems thinking. The first principle of self-knowledge refers to a leader knowing their own values and acting consistently with integrity. The second principle of balance means considering both justice and care ethics equally. The third principle of systems thinking requires leaders to see the school community as interconnected and rely on collaborative relationships. The reflection then applies these ideas to the importance of balancing justice and care through strong relationships between principals and staff.

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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Professional Reading Reflection EPPSP Phase I

Date: October 6, 2020


Student Name: Carolyn Gassmann
Title of article, book, or podcast: Moral Leadership: A Model for Educational Leaders in the 21st
Century—Three Principles for Educational Leaders
Author(s): Paul M. Quick
Publication Name and Date (articles only), link if using podcast: Florida International University,
USA, January 11, 2013

Summary:
This academic journal offers insight into the use of personal morals as a guide for school leaders
as they work to guide their staff and bring academic success to their students. In this section,
Three Principles for Educational Leaders, author Paul M. Quick delineates three key elements
he believes intertwines morals with strong educational leadership. Those three elements are
detailed as follows.
The first mentioned principle is self-knowledge. Quick defines this as “knowledge of one’s own
values and the ability to translate that knowledge into action”. He believes that at the most basic
level a leader must have consistency between one’s values, goals, and actions, and that the leader
must stand for something and align that with his or her actions. He believes that if leaders do not
act with integrity, they may stand to be considered “inauthentic”. He goes on to define an
authentic leader as one who is “trusted because they do what they say they will do”.
The second principle is balance. By this Quick means balancing the “ethics of justice and the
ethics of care”. He goes on to note the fact that many leaders align themselves with one of those,
but fails to hold both of equal importance. When that balance is achieved, an ethically
responsible educational leader will focus on the primacy of relationships and the understanding
of the connection of all community stakeholders, while simultaneously creating a climate in
which individuals are free from oppression. Essentially, leaders must build respectful
relationships with members of the school community and create a safe space for them to work
and grow.
The third and final principle is systems thinking. Quick first defines a system as “any perceived
whole whose elements ‘hang together’ because they continually affect each other”. Quick notes
that moral educational leaders take a systematic perspective to integrate the two aforementioned
points into the school setting. He goes on to note that “a leader focusing on the systems
perspective must rely on others, affirming the interconnectedness and interrelatedness of the
stakeholders within the community”. These leaders must work as a team with others and build
constructive relationships.
Reflection:
Recently, I have been put in a difficult situation as a teacher that made me take time to reflect on
my beliefs and morals as a person and a teacher. Though this situation has been tough, I have
tried to put it into perspective and see it as a learning experience, not only from a teacher’s point
of view, but also from that of a school leader. Through that reflection, I began to wonder about
the importance of keeping sound morals as a leader of a school. From that, I found this article
which allowed me to think about my future role as a school leader.

Quick’s idea of “balancing the ethics of justice and care” really stuck out to me as I read and
reflected. Above most things, I believe in prioritizing strong relationships within the school
community. If the principal models respect for staff members and works to create strong
relationships, then it is more likely that staff will feel safe and comfortable working according to
their own values.

To relate this to my aforementioned situation as an educator, because I have a strong relationship


with my principal and we have created a good level of professional trust and collaboration, I felt
more comfortable taking on the responsibilities he requested even though they felt overwhelming
or unattainable at the start. Because my principal has previously taken the time to create a just
and caring environment for staff members, I felt more comfortable saying “yes” to taking on the
responsibilities, and I know that going forward I can voice any questions or concerns that arise as
I navigate this new situation.

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