Leadership magazine Sept/Oct 2015 V45 No 1 | Page 9

As education leaders, we hold the greatest
responsibility in our hands – the lives of our
students. Our students go through most of
their childhood and young adult lives under
our direct care. The decisions we make directly impact their experiences in school and
shape their futures.
When reflecting on our own experiences
as children, most of us can clearly recall our
best and worst moments in school. We recall
the qualities of our favorite and most hated
teachers and administrators, and may find
ourselves shedding a tear when thinking
about how they shaped who we are today. No
matter what leadership position we hold, we
should always reflect on those experiences to
inspire ourselves to be like the leaders who
most positively impacted our lives.

An equity toolkit
Our equity journey will often begin with
overcoming past pain and identifying biases
that stem from our upbringing and institutionalized knowledge of our profession. In
order to help us along this journey, we need
a toolkit that will provide essential resources
to support our growth.
The purpose of an equity toolkit is to provide leaders with resources in one place to
support their journey to cultural proficiency.
It is essential that we arm ourselves with
tools that will enable us to protect the precious lives entr W7FVBF