Best of the Week 2021-2022: Teaching to the Future

ST. ED'S LEADERS BECOME PUBLISHED AUTHORS, COVERING EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND CULTURAL HUMILITY

St. Ed's celebrates two new published authors within the community and congratulates President Jim Kubacki on his book entitled "Choose to Lead" and VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion James Knight on his book entitled "Heart: A Journey Toward Cultural Humility." Mr. Kubacki's book breaks down educational leadership into four parts: personal leadership, organizational leadership, visionary leadership, and operational leadership. With a focus on leading from within, Mr. Kubacki's book highlights the need for authentic leaders who seek the curiosity to learn, lead and gather great minds to solve problems. "I wanted to help others understand not only how to be a leader by referencing my experiences, but to give them the confidence to know that through the complexity, there is joy in leading," says Mr. Kubacki. "My book provides a framework for leadership, but there's no right or wrong way to lead. There are no requirements to lead other than the innate desire to serve, and that's consistent with our goals as a Holy Cross school and is a really important message to share with others. The work we do as leaders of a school can be very pastoral, and my book is a practical approach in showing a framework for how to lead in education. If my readers take that from my book, I feel I can give back and help the next generation as they grow to become our future leaders." Mr. Knight's book similarly invites audiences to bring their authentic selves and an open mind when sitting down to have conversations about cultural humility. "Throughout the pandemic, especially during the lockdown, and reflecting on what happened to George Floyd and the issues of racism that are still being talked about across our country, we are continuing to have conversations about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion and I wrote my book to help talk about cultural humility in bite sizes," says Mr. Knight. "My book has been a great starting point for people who want to learn how to appreciate differences and how to explore greater self-awareness. Having conversations about racism can be a heavy topic to discuss and there can be a lot of anxiety around that. My book frames cultural humility in a more palatable light, giving people a safe space to explore their curiosity, ask questions, and reflect while encouraging readers to open their heart to cultural humility." Mr. Knight's book frames important talking points, including color blindness, the four dimensions of racism, and the meaning behind privilege, in a collaborative format so readers can reflect on their personal journeys and experiences and share them with others within their community. "As I wrote this book, I wanted to express the basic understanding of things that pertain to what's happening in our world regarding racism, but to also give people the opportunity to start their own process of self-reflection, self-awareness, and lead with the humility reflected in Christ. If people can bring their best, authentic selves to the table, they become instruments of change to help others do the same in becoming advocates for those who don't have a voice." Both "Choose to Lead" and "Heart: A Journey Toward Cultural Humility" can be purchased through The Green & Gold Bookstore or online at choose2lead.org and leadwithhumility.org.