Educational Leadership Philosophy
As Superintendent, my primary responsibility is to create, nurture and maintain the learning and leadership environment for the school district. Learning and leadership are founded on a basic belief that the manner and style of leadership in the district will directly influence how students are taught in the classroom. The learning and leadership environment should be based on strong relationships embedded in collaborative decision- making processes with high expectations for effective results. Strong relationships with, students, parents, staff, and the community will always be my focus. Key values in building strong relationships are respect for others, honesty, integrity, and honoring commitments.A major role for me is keeping the district vision alive and energized. Articulating the vision is essential for our learning community to have a sense of direction, purpose, and context for decision-making. Holding the energy of the vision in a creative and flexible environment is essential for any leadership team to be successful. Another important role is to ask significant questions and energize and support those who have answers to significant questions. In addition, my role also includes the task of balancing expectations and needs of students, parents, community groups, teachers, administrators and the Board of Trustees - based on my values and beliefs about learning and leadership. Finally, I believe that in my 29 years as an educator in Texas, I have come to understand that being patient with the process of interactions, relationships and recognizing the values and vision of education are very important tasks that must be embraced by a district leader. Also, I believe that in order to be successful, a superintendent MUST provide the leadership required to effectively articulate the philosophy, vision, and mission of the school district. Accomplishing these tasks will be the most important contribution I can make to enhance the educational experience of our students and ultimately, to ensure that the school district is indeed a place of learning for all with equal measures of joy, productivity and integrity.Danbury ISD Eric V. Grimmett
Superintendent of Schools
