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My philosophy of social justice is centered around doing what is right, helping others, and equity.  Social justice is about actively trying to make things right.

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My philosophy of social justice leadership entails being a persistent disrupter, a strategic agitator, and a questioner.  I chose this song because I feel like as a social justice advocate and leader, one cannot back down.  It takes someone constantly and consistently standing up for justice and against inequity for change to occur.  Being a social justice leader is not easy.  There are always ruffled feathers and one may get knocked down again and again.  Change does not happen overnight and even if it did, we are living in a rapidly changing world and my version of social justice leadership is about being proactive and actively seeking out opportunities to make student's lives better.

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I have worked very hard to get where I am today but I was also very lucky and was given a lot of opportunities that many others were not.  I chose to dedicate my life to being an advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves and for those who do not have the opportunities I do.  "Service is the rent we pay for living", and I feel as though I owe a lot.  Through my work as an educator my goal is to help children create a better, more equitable and just future.  I recently attended an event with an exhibit about Nelson Mandela and took this picture.  When we speak of hope for the world and for education, this picture gave me hope.  This said to me that things may be inequitable and unjust now but if we support children in learning how to be their best selves and work for a better future then there is hope.  There is hope because of kids.

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Kelsey, I., Campuzano, C., & Lopez, F. (2015). Inclusive leadership and english learners. In G. Theoharis & M. Scanlan (Eds.), Leadership for increasingly diverse schools (82-100). New York, NY: Routledge.

Scanlan, M., & Theoharis, G. (2015). Introduction: Intersectionality in educational leadership. In G. Theoharis & M. Scanlan (Eds.), Leadership for increasingly diverse schools (1-11). New York, NY: Routledge.

Shields, C. M. (2010). Transformative leadership: Working for equity in diverse contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46(4), 558-589. DOI: 10.1177/0013161X10375609

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As with individual students, the learning community including teachers, parents and community members, cannot be successful without considering strengths and needs collectively and holistically.  The culture of a building or district can have a huge impact on the success of socially just initiatives.  Transformative and socially just leadership is not for the faint of heart.  I think that breaking down existing attitudes and practices can be very difficult but without the entire community participating in this, the movement will not be effective.  People will have to step outside their comfort zone and attempt to be open minded to a new way of doing things and a new way of approaching issues.  I think a first step of getting "buy in" is developing respect for other's opinions and experiences and trust that others will remain open minded.  Kelsey, Campuzano, and Lopez (2015) discuss the benefits of conducting equity audits.  This is a self-reflective activity that can be done individually and collectively to help identify areas in the school, culture, and curriculum that are lacking or inequitable.  I think this approach is a great first step, and should be a frequently repeated method, to opening lines of communication and establishing respect in order to shift culture.  Opening the lines of communication helps staff, students, parents, and community members to share their experiences and helps everyone to learn how things could be done better.  Simply put, in my opinion the golden rule applies to learners of all ages.

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Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - I Won't Back Down (Official Music Video)

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I believe that one cause of inequity comes from and is sustained by the mindset that we do things this way, we treat people and situations this way, because that is how it has always been.  I've read this quote in relation to the business world and inefficiency, but I think it is just as dangerous in the world of education.  The needs of students and the students themselves are rapidly changing and we need to keep up.  When I look at the biggest proponents for change and social justice they threaten this notion of, "We've always done it this way."  Things may "seem fine" or seem to be working but my view of social justice is that there is always room for improvement in the world and there is always a way to make things better for people.  Socially just leaders are proactive in finding how things could be better and they set out to make it a reality.

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I really connected with the idea of transformative leadership as presented by Shields (2010).  If a leader is truly striving to be socially just, my philosophy is that he or she must be transformative.  Speaking in my most familiar language, special education, such leaders must seek out "areas of need".  My philosophy of a socially just leader is someone who is not content or satisfied with the status quo, with just keeping the peace or with doing things how they have always been done.  A social justice leader sees that there is always room for improvement.  They must identify, break down and rebuild existing structures, practices and systems that are exclusive and inequitable (Shields, 2010).  This quote by Burke came to mind immediately when I read the Shields article.  Even if one is not actively supporting or engaging in inequitable practices, doing nothing to work against it or correct it is just as bad.
Socially just leadership is at risk of failing when the big picture and the whole picture is not considered.  Leaders do not exist in a vacuum and therefore cannot lead without getting "buy in" from others.  Scanlan and Theoharis (2015) discuss four outcomes of social justice leadership.  The results presented resonate with my philosophy, however, my interpretation is slightly different.  When I read this chapter I extracted three words that help to define my viewpoint in terms of social justice leadership in education: "achievement", "holistically", and "culture" (Scanlan & Theoharis, 2015).  I believe that in order to to truly observe student growth and achievement educators must consider a student's needs, strengths and experiences from a holistic standpoint.  It is crucial that areas of need and areas of inequity are addressed appropriately before any real growth can occur.  I believe that to be true on an individual student basis as well as a larger school or district level.  Students may not be able to meet academic standards if basic needs, including emotional needs, are not met.  Socially just leaders help provide a safe space for all students to grow and learn in a way that addresses individual and holistic strengths and needs.