What is your philosophy of Catholic educational leadership?

As a school leader, a
principal/viceprincipal must be able to articulate the goals, values and mission of the school
as well as your own personal beliefs. You must be able to think critically about your own
place in the educational spectrum; for example, what have you experienced, what do you
value, how do you conceptualize the notions of leadership, teaching, learning, knowledge,
and education? How do your experiences and ideas impact how you think of yourself as a
Catholic educator? The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to reflect upon, and
perhaps reassess, your own philosophical ideas regarding Catholic educational leadership
based upon the content of readings and class discussion. This assignment should be one to
two pages in length.

We believe...
in the worth and dignity of every person
in the critical role that our Catholic schools play in promoting Gospel values, social
justice, environmental responsibility, human solidarity and the common good
that high standards and expectations foster greater achievement
that people thrive in a safe, healthy and compassionate environment grounded in
respect for the diversity of every person,
that teaching is responsive to individual needs
that teaching and learning should be rooted in research and evidence
that each of us shares responsibility for creating collaborative communities of learning
that equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusivity are integral to the Catholic
community
that the 21st century competencies collaboration, real world problem solving and
innovation, knowledge construction, skilled communication, self-regulation and the
use of information communication technology for learning, are essential.

Lifelong learning
Diversity
High expectations
 Philosophy of Catholic Educational Leadership

David McMullan

As someone who is considering a role in Catholic leadership, I think that foremost in

my philosophy of education is the importance of promoting Gospels values in the school

community. Many students in our schools today have little experience in going to Church so

it is very important to develop their faith life within the school community. They should

experience this not only through the teachings of their religious education but in the way that

the members of the school community live their faith in their interactions with one another

and the community at large. As a school leader it would be my responsibility to lead by

example through my interactions with students, staff and the school community.

Through my own experiences, I understand the importance of respecting the

diversity of the school community. As someone who has lived and worked outside of

Canada in a different language and culture, I have come to recognize the challenges that

many of our students experience when they immigrate to Canada. I think it is important that

students feel both welcomed in the school but also that their experiences be validated by

being reflected in what they learn. Respecting diversity also means creating an environment

that is inclusive of all students, especially those who have special needs. I believe it is

important to as a school leader to seek out all support available to help students with special

needs meet their potential.

I think that learning in schools should be informed by data and current research so

that our students learning needs can best be met. There is a tendency for teachers to fall

back on how they were taught in their approach to pedagogy. To meet students needs

today we need to develop 21st century learning. Through practices rooted in constructivist,
situated, collaborative and inquiry based learning we can best prepare our students for the

future. As a Catholic school leader I would hope to create a climate where teachers can

collaborate with each other to develop best practices to facilitate excellence in student

achievement.