APEX - Spring Catalog

It is a daunting task to offer a course on one of the most important people in history. It is not possible, in such a short time, to capture the breadth and depth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are not quite done capturing his magnificence, and continued reflection—from poets, historians, philosophers, teachers, and the public at large—can only produce a better understanding of the man. Rather than attempt to give a comprehensive view, then, this course aims to engage with some of Dr. King’s most pivotal writings and most crucial events. As you work your way through the modules, feel free to supplement them with your own research. The hope is that this course will inspire you to live up to the kind of community that Dr. King was trying to shape.

This course is intended for current and aspiring school leaders looking to influence the parent community at their campus. It will build an awareness of the larger context of parent communities and the elements that create healthy dynamics in three specific dyads: Leader-Parent, Teacher-Parent, and Parent-Parent. This course is not a complete survey of everything pertaining to parent-academy relations, nor is it intended to train participants in implementing specific strategies for managing difficult relationships. Rather, it seeks to develop a deeper understanding of the role of the parent community as it relates to the work we do and provide frameworks and strategies for developing and nurturing healthy parent communities. This is about the long game. At the same time, participants will find practical – and short term – tools for success as well.

In the classical school, all elements of school life reflect the leader’s vision, including scheduling, recruitment, enrollment, budgeting, and facility management. This course takes current and prospective school leaders through some aspects that you need to consider when operationalizing a vision for a school, including delegating strategically. This is by no means a comprehensive treatment of all the operations of a school—some elements are emphasized more heavily than others. However, this course is meant to give you a glimpse into some of the most important daily, monthly, and/or yearly needs of a school, as well as a chance to reflect on your operational sensibilities as a leader.

You will engage with ancient and modern voices, such as Shakespeare, Donald Cowan, and Peter Drucker. You will also meet several successful headmasters in the Great Hearts network and read about their unique approaches to the operations of their respective schools at the time of the interviews. The course will culminate in a 30-60-90 day plan as it might relate to your task as a headmaster. You will present your plan to your peers at the end of the course.

This course builds upon the wisdom of the three Delphic maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo: “know thyself,” “nothing in excess,” and “certainty brings ruin.” It combines classical models of leadership with modern management practices. Its anchor, however, remains the medium of tragedy, the realm of truth and self-discovery par excellence. The lyric voice will also feature prominently, as the “star to every wand’ring bark,” as Shakespeare writes in Sonnet 116.

This course encourages self-reflection about such topics as leadership style and bringing the best in those whom one serves. It seeks to reveal the contours of leadership (rather than details) so as to engender an understanding of leadership as an art in the sense of the ancient Greek word techne. It does not focus on operationalizing one’s vision in a school. This course contains synchronous elements and requires a personal mentor.