Dare to Lead Collaboration - In and Out of the Classroom

I recently discovered one of Brene Brown's Dare to Lead resources for educators, Daring Classrooms - a free resource that is built around the Dare to Lead book. There are lesson plans, videos, and a leadership assessment that you can take to learn more about your strengths and opportunities for growth with respect to the ideas presented in the book.

I visited the site and took a closer look. I was really pleased with the ideas there and decided that I would like to implement some of them in my classroom this year, as well as work with other educators in a collaborative fashion with the goal of improving the leadership of all involved. To this end, I asked if anyone wanted to collaborate with me this school year.

Lots of people responded and said that they were interested so I started a Google Document titled Daring Classrooms Collaboration with some ideas about how we could connect and work together. If you haven't checked out the document, please do so. If you like what you see, put your name down and let's work together!

In addition to the opportunity of building a safer space for my students, work with other educators and their students, I get to learn about myself and put into action what Brene writes about in Dare to Lead. At first, I was apprehensive about tweeting an invitation to collaborate with others. I sat with the feelings that came to me - I acknowledged them and worked with them for a bit. I realized that this was a growth opportunity for me and that I needed to take action.

I took the first step and now I am looking forward to what comes next. After the tweet and creation of the document, I started to reflect on the Ontario Catholic Leadership Framework and how the idea of Daring Classrooms Collaboration fits with the expectations of the Leadership Framework. Many of the expectations in the Leadership Framework connect well with my vision of the Daring Classrooms Collaboration.

One of the pillars of the framework focuses on developing people and building relationships. The idea behind the collaboration project is to help people (teachers and students) grow and develop - to understand themselves better, and to take action that will hopefully lead to continuous improvement.

Another pillar of the framework focuses on developing the organization to support desired practices. Several of the educators who have indicated an interest in participating in the collaboration are from my school board which means that the work we do will align with our Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement. The Board's plan prioritizes nurturing our Catholic community, building capacity to lead, learn, and live authentically, and student engagement, achievement, and innovation. My vision of the collaboration project, along with the content of Dare to Lead, fit nicely with the priorities of the my School Board.

Last but not least, collaboration is a key ingredient of the Leadership Framework and the Board's plan for student achievement. I will do what I can to continue to work with others and offer them opportunities to work with me with the goal of growth and improvement for all involved. I don't know how this will play out but I do know that I will dare to lead!