The Leadership of Education

• The leader is the person who influences others and practices leadership.

• The team which involves individuals who set the goals of an institution into effect according to the instructions and advice of the leader.

• The task which consists of the leader’s purpose and pursuit of success.

• The sourse of power which derives from the members of the team.

• The cultural backround regarding the values and achievements responsible for the bonding between the leader and his/her colleagues.

• The environment they act.

According to some researchers the essence of the school leadership plays the major role in the school development and affects dramatically the efficiency of the school’s unit (Early & Weindling, 2004, Gamage & Mininberg 2003, Huber 2004). There is a mutual understanding among the researchers that the term “leadership” requires so much more than the hard skills of management itself. Apart from the guidance, monitoring and conquest of goals, the very existence of vision, inspiration, influence and urge for change is required. As far as the leader’s vision is concerned Beare, Caldwell and Millikan (1989) claim that charismatic leaders envisage their school’s future potential, something they share with the rest of the school community in both inspiring and stimulating ways, so that they ensure the colleagues engagement. The successful visions according to Kotter (2001) are understandable, desirable, feasible, versatile, full of purposes and generosity. These visions interact with each other as well as with the interchage of multiple ideas amongst the members of an educational organisation.

On the other hand the influence in terms of edutional leadership does not relate to the authenticity and authority but it is given as a process of social influence within an educational group for the construction of useful activities and relationships under the umbrella of this organisation (Bush,2008). Overall, when it comes to leadership it is evident that there is a large variety of different models which can shape both positive and negative results. All of them bear pros and cons. For this exact reason leadership is totally linked to the evolution and adaptation to the educational environment and the specialties of each unit throughout a constant evaluation and combination of alternative forms of leadership.

Thus, the type of leadership to be distinquished displays its dependance on a number of factors intergrated into the following axons.
1. The personality of the leader.
2. The quality and maturity of the team.
3. The status (environment) (Bourandas 2002).

The transformational leadership is the one the leader delivers the greatest goal, commitment, vision and ambition to the team. Unlike the instructional, managerial and transactional type, the transformational leadership is based on the engagement of the working force sharing common purposes, values, role models, principles and long-term invoivement. This form of leadership stimulates mentally and breeds incentives in the working community and consequently it increases the levels of personal and social growth. The individual consideration of a leader acting as an empathetic mentor and listener, an idealist influencer and a charismatic counsellor caltivates trust, respect and dedication of his/her followers. The intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation of a transformative gifted leader directs to the sense of logic, boosts innovation, creativity, optimism and team spirit awekening. A good leader is a multicultural, well- intentioned figure which manages diversities and adversities with loyalty, justice and distinctive ethics!

👤 Βιογραφικό αρθρογράφου:

Ελένη Κλεομύτη 
Καθηγήτρια Αγγλικής γλώσσα στο Hello Χολαργού

Η Ελένη Κλεομύτη έζησε τα πρώτα χρόνια της ζωής της (3–6 ετών) στο Λονδίνο, όπου οι γονείς της συνέχισαν τις μεταπτυχιακές τους σπουδές στο Imperial College. Η φοίτησή της σε βρεφονηπιακό σταθμό και νηπιαγωγείο στη Βρετανία, σε συνδυασμό με τη μετέπειτα εκπαίδευσή της σε αγγλόφωνα προγράμματα στην Ελλάδα, την ιδιωτική διδασκαλία και τις σπουδές της στο British Council, της προσέφεραν άριστη γνώση της αγγλικής γλώσσας, σε επίπεδο φυσικού ομιλητή. Είναι κάτοχος των διπλωμάτων Cambridge και Oxford Proficiency, έχει επιμορφωθεί σε σύγχρονες διδακτικές μεθόδους και διαθέτει επαγγελματική άδεια διδασκαλίας της αγγλικής ως ξένης γλώσσας από το Υπουργείο Παιδείας (1994). Αγαπά τη συγγραφή στίχων, το θέατρο, τον κινηματογράφο, το διάβασμα, τα ταξίδια, τη μαγειρική, τη μουσική, τον χορό και τις ποιοτικές ανθρώπινες σχέσεις. Σταθερό της όραμα είναι η προώθηση μιας ποιοτικής εκπαίδευσης προσβάσιμης σε όλους.

Στίχοι που αγαπάει και την χαρακτηρίζουν:

Σμίλεψε πάλι, δάσκαλε, ψυχές!

Κι ότι σ’ απόμεινε ακόμη στη ζωή σου,

Μην τ’ αρνηθείς! Θυσίασέ το ως τη στερνή πνοή σου!

Χτισ’ το παλάτι, δάσκαλε σοφέ!

Κι αν λίγη δύναμη μεσ’ το κορμί σου μένει,

Μην κουρασθείς. Είν’ η ψυχή σου ατσαλωμένη.

Θέμελα βάλε τώρα πιο βαθειά,

Ο πόλεμος να μη μπορεί να τα γκρεμίσει.

Σκάψε βαθειά. Τι κι’ αν πολλοί σ’ έχουνε λησμονήσει;

Θα θυμηθούνε κάποτε κι αυτοί

Τα βάρη που κρατάς σαν Άτλαντας στην πλάτη,

Υπομονή! Χτίζε, σοφέ, της κοινωνίας το παλάτι …

– Κωστής Παλαμάς

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