#Kennedy child study center bronx series#

It is imperative that people feel validated and heard. What is something that others can do today to make their spaces, programs, and relationships more inclusive? In other words, when the intention is strengths-based. It is challenging when it is not strengths-based because what is left unknown is, “how is this going to help me grow?” It is important for leaders for to remember this as they offer feedback to others. When it is constructive and it is really about building up our program or our community, or even my leadership skills and craft, then I can handle it and hear it. When I am faced with criticism I always try to take a step back and look at the person’s intention and the why. We should always be searching and wanting to learn more. There is no growth without those mistakes. Making mistakes, experiencing those mistakes, is part of how you grow. The only way you can grow is to ask questions and have the humility to understand that mistakes are inevitable. I think we need to look to children and imitate them in how they learn and grow-by asking questions and having an inquisitive nature. As a leader within the school I want to make sure I am eliciting and fostering collaboration across the school and the departments within the school. Identifying ways in which collaboration can get stuck, such as personality differences or challenges with communication, is important to be able to work through it and move forward. My biggest challenge is looking within myself and reflecting on what I am doing to foster collaboration and where it is difficult for me.

What is the biggest or most significant challenge that you face in your leadership?Ĭurrently, I am in a continuous place of rethinking collaboration in the context of my role as a leader. I want to understand and work on the ways that I can advocate not just for my school but also the community that surrounds my school. It is important as a leader that I know my teammates well and grow in my understanding of them.Īs I develop further as a leader, it is especially important now with everything that is going on, that I pay more attention to my role in advocacy. I do this on an individual level and then through a team dynamic lens as well. I want to discover and understand who is that person, what makes up that person, what is important to that person. I come from a background of two social workers in my family and I have a foundation in child life psychology so intuitively my style of leadership starts with looking inward at the people I lead. How would you describe yourself as a leader today and what kind of leader do you want to become? So what one thinks and one speaks is what comes into fruition. I have seen in my life that it is really important to share my truth and how I am feeling because I have seen how things have come to fruition based on how I am thinking, based on my perception. What one thinks and what one says, that is what becomes reality. Spotlight: Michelle Boyd, Classroom Support Coordinator, Kennedy Children’s Center, Bronx.

#Kennedy child study center bronx series#

TLC hopes that through this series you get to know these diverse individuals and take away an appreciation for their journeys and leadership skills and its impact on the lives of children, families, their staff and communities. The Leadership Initiative invited its members to reflect on different aspects of leadership, bringing to light unique pathways, approaches, challenges and lessons learned.

Early Childhood Special Education Guide.

The New York State Early Learning Standards.

Gender, Sexuality and the Family Workshops.