Caring Enough to Lead: Schools and the Sacred Trust

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. Pellicer's book, Caring Enough to Lead. It was easy to read and very entertaining while at the same time very applicable for teachers in any situation. It gently reminds us of why we choose teaching in the first place, to touch lives. Dr. Pellicer also reflects on several ways to lead as well as the responsibilities that come with leadership. It was easy to reflect on myself as a leader as I was reading this book. I was able to relate my own experiences to most of his chapters. His writing style of vignettes and questions was fun and unique to read. The short chapters made it convenient to read a chapter or two at a sitting and come back to it later.

This book is very appropriate as a soul-searching vehicle for personal and group reflections on educational leadership issues. The questions which were the chapter titles, were simple, but truly challenging. In selecting any one of the questions to respond to, one would need to dig down deep to answer truthfully. The questions give you a point reference for reflective conversations or thoughts. The flow of the questions, along with its readings, is gentle enough so that the average person would not take offense, yet strong enough to be a catalyst to promote self-evaluation. Almost all of the chapters spoke to me personally in a most powerful way! They caused me to think of the situations I am in or have been in during my career as an educator. With this in mind, I could easily say "Ouch!" or "So that's what I was feeling!" as I read each chapter. At this point in my life, the most meaningful chapters for me were Chapters 16 and 17. I think the bottom line of our schools not being as successful as they could and should be is a matter of us all caring enough to create a shared vision from our hearts for all students to be successful.

An enjoyable and enlightening book that richly describes what true leadership entails.Angie Hallman

Leonard Pellicer's Caring Enough To Lead is an appropriate reading assignment for our Teacher Leadership course. While Pellicer provides his insights on educational leadership, he also prompts the reader to explore his/her thoughts on topics and therefore allows the reader to become a part of the discussion. Beginning with the title of the book, Pellicer's work is compatible with the Teacher Leadership 655 course organizing themes of leadership and stewardship. Pellicer's chapters focus on the specific goals of the course that include self evaluation of educational leadership, applying reform and renewal strategies, and demonstrating effective problem solving skills. In chapter twenty of the book, Pellicer states, "People choose to follow a leader because they can identify with the leader's values... The leader's actions serve as the conformation that the head, the heart, and the hand are truly joined, and the leader is indeed authentic, or as I like to call it, congruent" (122). I find this statement by Pellicer to be the strongest connection to the course because all of our class discussions have an underlying theme of discovering leadership values. I think about our course as I prepare to attend, on the way home from class, and sometimes on the job a thought will pass through my head. I'm still thinking about the information that I gleaned from a specific session or I may be pondering some other question prompted by discussion or reading. My purpose for taking the Teacher Leadership class was to generically explore my leadership skills but after reading Pellicer, I am more interested in learning how to develop skills to become a "congruent leader" so that I can make things better for others.

Not only does Dr. Pellicer bring to life the importance of caring in the school environment, his views and examples hold relevance for every day living. They are perhaps particularly prophetic in these troubled times facing our country. "When we are struggling, mired up to our knees in the rich, thick mud of life, we pray that those who guide the plow will recognize and appreciate our efforts and demonstrate appropriate care and concern..." This book is extremely readable and contributes as much to one's view of life as Johnson's "Precious Present" or "Who moved my cheese?"