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Education is the driving force towards success. It is a basic necessity that should be evenly and heavily distributed while doing away with the disparities between social classes.

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This brick wall theme is a theme that runs all across the education system. Leaders need to find ways to break these barriers for basic human rights, allowing for equal access to all benefits society has to offer. Cultural gaps need to be bridged instead of barricaded to improve students’ conceptual knowledge, subject matter knowledge, and their high-order thinking.

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Finding ways to advocate for those left on the outskirts of the political spectrum both within urban and underprivileged communities in order to promote opportunity and growth by sparking civic engagement with hopes that one day they themselves will prosper and reach their own goals.

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Cooper, C.W. (2010). Educational leaders as cultural workers: Engaging families and school communities through transformative leadership. In S.D. Horsford (Ed.), New Perspective in Educational Leadership: Exploring Social, Political, and Community Contexts and Meaning (pp. 173-195). New York, NY: Peter Lang.

Gardner, J. W. (2000). The nature of leadership. In M. Fullan (Ed.), The Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership (pp. 3-12). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Peters, A.L. (2010). Rethinking transformational leadership in schools: The influence of people, place, and process on leadership practice. In S.D. Horsford (Ed.), New Perspective in Educational Leadership: Exploring Social, Political, and Community Contexts and Meaning (pp. 29-46). New York, NY: Peter Lang.

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I am an evolving educator. I am continuously dedicated and adaptive to the needs of students and of the environment that they belong to. It is important to understand and take action on influencing how learning takes place throughout a person’s life whether in formal or informal contexts of education because all forms of learning are essential.

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As mentioned in The Nature of Leadership, "Leaders can change during their course of their active careers and ways of thinking because they are always evolving." This speaks to my notion of being versatile to when, where, and to whom I am leading.

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Diversity is something that should be celebrated, integrated, valued, and retained. Leaders should maintain unity by supporting positive environments through culture, language, and experiences. Students build their own communicative identities. It is a leader's job to advocate for the intelligence that comes with being bilingual and/or bicultural to allow students’ self-esteem and cross-cultural understandings to manifest while feeling respected and honored.

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My thoughts are even more so validated after reading Rethinking Transformational Leadership in Schools. Peters focuses on relationships to inspire others toward increased motivation and higher levels of morality.

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Revolution begins with individual evolution. Leaders need to teach people that they are not entrapped in their environment because cycles are meant to be broken. Education is helping people create and recreate themselves to then better their communities. It takes action to see a reaction and perpetual change.

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In Educational Leaders as Cultural Workers, Cooper describes transformative beliefs as collaborative, culturally responsive, and inclusive of all students which perfectly aligns with my sentiments because it is vital to have all community members share responsibility.

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Most of the time, people want to voice their opinions, thoughts, and frustrations but they are too scared of the repercussions that they will receive. I, like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, am not afraid. I express that equality should be an act of courage and that all must stand up and shout from the top of their lungs if need be.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers - Power of Equality Lyrics

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Protests happen when there are injustices. The fight for educational rights has been a reoccurring racial, socio-economic and political battle. “Who’s schools? Our schools!” rallies are still happening in Chicago today. The 1963 boycott and the 2018 boycott, where I am pictured at the bottom right, are acts of the dedication to students and their learning within a classroom and in non-typical settings.

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The forgotten story of a '63 civil rights protest and its connection to today's issues.

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Leaders can take many forms and sizes. Sophie Cruz of Mexican descent is a great example of this. She is an advocate for immigrant families and their right to a equal education.

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Define American with Jose Antonio Vargas

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Sophie Cruz at the Women's March on Washington | Define American

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This image represents a student's ability to bloom in spite of the environment in which they find themselves. This is made possible when there is a leader who is there mentoring them along the way, allowing them to realize that they are more than their surroundings. Once their change happens, they will be able to reciprocate the same type of mentorship to others in their community and the greater world