# data[].attributes.body
Welcome to philosophy of social justice online poster board! This is a journey through my social justice philosophy, with the destination being my own persona definition of leadership for social justice.

My career and interests lie in education, so this journey is shown through the lens of an educator. I am putting this in the context of a teacher in the classroom. I am currently a first year teacher, so my philosophy of social justice is focused on how do I build social justice into my educational philosophy and the work I do as a teacher. Specifically, I am asking myself how can I , as a teacher, demonstrate leadership for social justice to the students in my class and in the wider campus community?  While the focus of this is leadership for social justice in an educational context, I believe that my philosophy and definition of leadership for social justice is applicable for most, if not all, contexts.

# data[].attributes.body
I believe education can be the key to unlock freedom and liberation, but we must remove the barriers that stop some students from unlocking that door. That is where social justice comes into play.

# data[].attributes.body
I believe that before I can get into my philosophy of social justice, it is important to acknowledge my positionality. My identities inform how I view social justice, and the things that I miss. I believe it is important to acknowledge who I am as a preface to understanding what I believe and why I believe it.

My most salient identity is my racial and ethnic background. I am mixed race, with my mother white and my father a non-white Latino. More specifically, my family is Mexican-American, or more specifically Chicano. I choose to identify as a mixed-race Chicano because it better reflects my family and my cultural upbringing. While I am mixed race, in most spaces I pass as white, and with that acknowledge the privilege that comes with being able to pass. I also identify as a straight, abled-bodied cisgender man. I acknowledge that these identities are not subject to the oppressive systems and forces of our society.

The privilege I hold requires me to be more cognizant of the world around me, and requires me to deeply reflect and critique my place in the world and how I move about it. It forces me to do research on the experiences of marginalized folks, as well as unlearn the notions about marginalized folks that I learned through socialization. My privilege means that when discussing social justice and a social justice philosophy, I must recognize the ways in which I uphold systems of oppression, and leverage my privilege to help dismantle said systems.

# data[].attributes.body
It is not enough to think or talk about social justice. We must act.

# data[].attributes.body
When thinking about the role of leadership in social justice issues, my mind is immediately drawn to the idea of servant leadership. The reason for this is because in order to be a leader in a social justice context as a person who holds immense privilege, I must be able and willing to serve others- specifically those who are marginalized and oppressed. As Sergiovanni notes, "Servant leadership is the means by which leaders can get the necessary legitimacy to lead," (273). I believe in a social justice context that serving others is the only way to gain that legitimacy as a leader. To be trusted as a leader, others must be able to see the ways in which I serve them and the community as a whole. It is not on others to trust that I am a leader who values them, I must consistently demonstrate in my words and my actions. Sergiovanni also addresses this issue. He points out that a true servant leader will first and foremost serve the values and ideas of those being served , not assume what the needs of those being served are (274). As someone who holds a lot of privilege, it is critical that as a leader I listen to the communities I serve.

Sometimes when thinking about everything that goes into being a true leader for social justice, it becomes overwhelming. There is so much to be done, so much to be addressed, and at times, very little movement. It was John Gardner's piece that resonated with me and helps give me more perspective of what my role is as a leader. He states, "No individual has all the skills- and certainly not the time- to carry out all the complex tasks of contemporary leadership," (12). I think it is important to remember that being a leader in social justice does not mean you do everything. No one has the ability or the skills to do so. This is what has lead me to focus my leadership in social justice in an educational context. Not to say that I can't or won't think about what it means to be a leader for social justice outside of school and educational contexts. It does not mean that I do not call out injustices as I see, and do work in my own personal life. Instead, the majority of my time and effort will be focused on honing my skills as an educational leader who uses social justice as a foundation for their leadership style.

# data[].attributes.body
Being a leader for social justice means recognizing you do not have all the answers, all the skills, or all the abilities to make systemic change all. by yourself. Your job is to be one piece of the puzzle that leads to transformative change.

# data[].attributes.body
When I think about what it means to be a leader for social justice in my classroom, I think of the word community. In many ways the phrase "learning community" has become a buzzword for a classroom But if enacted properly, I think a learning community can be a an effective way to install social justice principals into the foundation of my teaching.

The first step to creating that learning community is for me to learn how to effectively manage a classroom. Often times people view managers as competing against the idea of leadership, but in the end to be a good leader you must have some of manager traits and skills (Gardner, 6). I believe those skills are best summed up by Peters the Peters piece, when she discusses transactional leadership. The contingent reward style of transactional leadership is focused on reward and recognition for people do perform well (Peters, 31). I believe this is most effective in the classroom as long as the definition of what performing well means is flexible for the needs of the students. Positive reinforcement is a more powerful tool than punitive measures. While the other styles of transactional leadership have some value and implemented as needed in a classroom, my foundation for managing my classroom will be to focus on acknowledging and rewarding the behavior that we want to see in the classroom.

I am putting such a large focus on classroom management because as a new teacher, it is a skill I must develop in order to truly be able to elevate above being just a manager and being a leader in my classroom. Once I am comfortable in my managing style, I will be able to take the next steps to become a transformative leader.

While focusing on my managing style is an essential first step to being a transformative leader, I cannot wait until that point to incorporate social justice into my managing style. I have to be cognizant of the way I manage my classroom, and ways my managing style may marginalize some students in my learning community.

# data[].attributes.headline
Social Justice setting the Learning Environment

# data[].attributes.subject
Social Justice setting the Learning Environment

# data[].attributes.body
I believe a well-managed learning community will naturally lead itself to a space where creating an environment of empathy, reflection, and inquiry are possible. I believe this is the part where social justice truly takes the forefront in creating an environment where students can thrive and where transformative leadership on full display.

The first step is best summarized by Dantley and Tillman (2010) when they said, "Leadership practice considered to be moral is crouched in the supreme necessity of liberation for all. This includes liberation from 'hunger, disease, fear, bigotry, war, ignorance, and all other barriers to a life of joy, abundance, and meaning for every single person in the world' (Purple, 1989, p. 300)" (p. 26). If I want my students to be engaged and inquisitive in class, then my class must be free of all the things mentioned above. If a student is suffering from something outside of my control that inhibits their learning, then I must do everything in role as a teacher to help alleviate that barrier. Students will not learn in a space they do not feel safe.

Dantley and Tillman also identify 5 characteristics needed in any definition of educational leadership for social justice- Being aware of the social, cultural, and political contexts of schools, critiquing marginalizing behaviors, enacting democratic principles in school, creating a narrative of hope regarding education, and moving from rhetoric towards activism (23). I believe these serve as a great foundation as to how to enact social justice within the classroom. By taking these to heart and embedding them into the structure of my work, I believe it will foster an enviroment that is not only socially just, but will create a space where students can take risks and grow, both as students and as people.

# data[].attributes.body
This video is an example of some parent engagement from the Georgia Department of Education. Listening to concerns of parents and then taking that information and applying it to our practice is a critical component of engagement. This applies to all instances, especially when the feedback is about addressing inequities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Parents Want Schools to Know: Nurturing Environment

# data[].attributes.headline
Leadership, Social Justice, and Community Engagement 

# data[].attributes.subject
Leadership, Social Justice, and Community Engagement 

# data[].attributes.body
The final piece of being a leader for social justice is to expand my leadership outside of my classroom and campus and find ways to engage other key stakeholders as part of the broader learning community. The most critical stakeholders to keep engage will be the guardians, parents, and families of my students.

Cooper's piece has made me really reconsider what it means to engage parents and guardians in the educational process. Cooper mentions that some of the traditionally thought of "disruptive" or "unhelpful" actions of parents are, in fact, a form of engagement (176-177). While I I have never thought of things like parents protesting or demanding educators address inequities and disruptive or unhelpful, I have never thought of them as engagement either. I believe that utilizing families as a source of feedback to improve will help me be a more socially just educator, as I am taking the time to truly understand the needs of my students. Incorporating parents into the process of becoming a better teacher will help me create a better learning community for my students because I will be able to be more proactive in addressing the needs of students.

In terms of engaging the broader community engagement, I think it is something that as a teacher I need to keep in mind. Finding ways to incorporate the broader community into my classroom seems daunting because I don't know what that looks like at this point in time. In many ways, I am still trying to figure out what my own classroom should look like. But I know it is important to try to find ways to do things in my classroom that can have an impact on the wider community. Understanding how students fit into the wider community and how to help them see their education as an integral part of their community is an area of growth that I will want to focus on as I develop my own socially just teaching practices.

# data[].attributes.body
Dr. Karen Mapp emphasizes the importance of family and community engagement in teaching and learning. As she mentions, it must be a priority, we must train teachers to engage with families and communities, and we need to shift our mindset about the role of families in school systems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dr. Karen Mapp's 3 Prerequisites of Effective Family and Community Engagement

# data[].attributes.headline
Definition of Leadership for Social Justice

# data[].attributes.subject
Definition of Leadership for Social Justice

# data[].attributes.body
When it comes to defining leadership for social justice, I believe it should be a flexible definition that allows room for growth, improvement, and change. After reflecting on the ways leadership, social justice, and education intersect is challenging. There is a lot to consider and a lot to do to make transformative changes in our education system. However for me, I believe leadership for social justice means the following:

Leadership for social justice is rooted in servant leadership. It means listening to those you serve to identify and address issues of inequity, injustice, and oppression. It means creating structures and systems that allow for all who engage to thrive. Finally, it means being willing to learn, to grow, and to adapt as the needs of the community you serve change.

As an educator, what this looks like is to not be afraid to challenge the "traditional" ways we operate our learning communities. It means truly listening to the students and their communities to understand what you need to do to best help them grow, learn, and achieve. To truly be a leader for social justice in education, it cannot just be something you think about or talk about. It must be embedded in your everyday practices. It must be visible for others to see. Being a leader for social justice in education means pushing for transformative change.

# data[].attributes.body
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.

Dantley, M, E. & Tillman, L, C. (2010). Social justice and moral transformative leadership. In C. Marshall & M. Oliva (Eds.), Leadership for Social Justice: Making Revolution in Education (2nded.) (pp. 19-34). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

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.

Sergiovanni, T. J. (2000). Leadership as stewardship. In M. Fullan (Ed.), In The Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership.San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.