Phillip Schlechty Quotes

These quotes are from a book titled, Working the Work.

"As leaders, great teachers understand that the needs and interests of those they want to follow them, the students, must be central to their concerns."

"Teachers must also ensure that those they lead respond to ends that may not be immediately appealing to students, though essential to the functioning of a democratic society."

"Sometimes it is helping those being led to see directions they might go that they would not otherwise have thought of and then inspiring them to go in those directions."

"Authentic engagement. The task, activity, or work the student is assigned is associated with a result or outcome that has clear meaning ... and value to the student."

"As schools are now organized, student success, especially success in doing well in an environment that places emphasis on high test scores, does not require authentic engagement."

"Beliefs shape visions, and visions drive missions."

"Control is not possible without understanding. Assessment is critical to understanding."

"the level and types of student learning are directly influenced by the effort students expend... the efforts students are willing to expend on tasks is determined by the level and type of engagement the tasks generate... the level and type of engagement depend, in a large measure... on the extent to which qualities that are built into the tasks are... most responsive to the needs and motives students bring to the tasks."

"The fact is that engagement precedes learning."

"For standards to motivate, they must have meaning and perceived value to those to whom they are being applied."

"What is real to children may be very different from that which is real to adults and that it is the reality of students that determines the kind of work they will find engaging."

Now this is primarily about engagement- however I am beginning to see lots of personal mastery woven between the lines here.