Concluding Thoughts on Leadership

           I am struggling to end my Capstone project as I truly think it is just the beginning for me.  I am in awe of what I have been blessed to learn and to share about leadership.  Leadership is a journey. I believe it is also a calling. 

           I have been blessed to be a principal in K-12 settings in various communities and with each new school I had lead, I have learned and grown because of the people around me and the mentors who have taken the time to guide me, listen to me and help me understand my full potential. With each new position, I have also had many obstacles that I needed to navigate through.  Experience has helped me to do this. As I work through each new experience, I am reminded that I have the capacity to make change and the ability to be an effective leader. 

           I also recognize that my thoughts on leadership and where I stand have changed with each unit and discussion. My cohort has been another source of reflection.  Their thoughts and opinions have challenged my thinking and for that I am grateful. It is through discussion and discourse that we truly enlighten ourselves.  So to my cohort, I am truly grateful for your input.  You have not only challenged my thinking, but you have enlightened me with your experiences. 

           I must also say that I was feeling very tired in my leadership role: questioning my capacity and feeling on the verge of burning out.  Although I have not experienced feelings of being undervalued, I was feeling exhausted.  I stumbled on Kafele’s (2019) article “Avoiding School Leadership Burnout.”  He reminds his readers to remember the importance of why?  In asking myself why I wanted to be a principal, the answer was easy, I wanted to foster change and be the instructional leader for my teachers.  Kaflele (2019) also reminds us to reconnect with the younger you.  As I read through the various posts, theories and journals, I was reminded of the younger me. “That younger you is what gave you your initial leadership life” (p. 7). This course has helped me to reconnect with my purpose. It was through honest reflection and evaluation that I feel I am finding once again my inner purpose.

            I stated that I feel that this is the beginning for me not the conclusion as I feel that this course has set a new path for me.  The opportunities that have been afforded to me over this course and this term have cemented my desire to learn more, experience more and study more.  I want to know what I am capable of accomplishing in my leadership.  Although I am frightened that I am adjusting my sails in the course of my dissertation, I am confident that I am making the right choice for me.

Kafele, B. K. (2019). Avoiding School Leadership Burnout. Education Digest, 84(7), 4–9. Retrieved from http://0-search.ebscohost.com.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=134542481&site=eds-live