Caring Enough to Lead

Leonard O. Pellicer is Dean of the School of Education and Organizational Leadership at the University of La Verne and Distinguished Professor Emeritus from the University of South Carolina. He has served in a number of teaching and leadership roles over the past thirty-five years. He served as the first director of the South Carolina Educational Policy Center, at the University of South Carolina, and was also the director of the African American Professors Program, a program designed to address the problem of a shortage of African American professors at predominantly white higher-education institutions. His experiences prior to joining the faculty at the University of South Carolina include service as a high school and middle school teacher, high school assistant principal, high school principal, and director of a teacher education center that provided staff development opportunities for teachers and administrators in five Florida school districts. In 1986 to 1987, he was a Fullbright Scholar in Southeast Asia. During this period, he taught graduate classes at the University of the Philippines and used his expertise in school leadership to assist in developing programs to train school leaders in the region. From 1992 to 195, he spent a good deal of time in the Republic of South Africa as a member of a team that developed a field-based training program for black principals in the "new South Africa." He holds a bachelor's degree in English education and master's and doctoral degrees in educational administration from the University of Florida in Gainesville. For more than twenty-five years, he has written, consulted, and spoken extensively in the areas of school leadership, instructional leadership, and educational programs for disadvantaged students. He has coauthored two other books with Lorin Anderson for Corwin Press, including A Handbook for Teacher Leaders (1995 and Teacher Peer Assistance and Review: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Administrators (2001).

Foreword to the Third Edition by Terrence E. Deal Foreword to the Second Edition by Governor Richard W. Riley Foreword to the First Edition by Aretha B. Pigford Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. It's Better to Know Some of the Questions Than All of the Answers 2. Why Am I Going to Visit Bob? 3. What Is a Leader? 4. Why Should Leaders Care About Caring? 5. What Do I Care About? 6. What Do I Believe About People? 7. Am I Taking Care of My Water Buffalo? 8. What Does It Mean to Be a Teacher? 9. Am I Willing to Share Power? 10. What Does It Mean to Be Responsible? 11. Why Am I Doing This? 12. Am I Willing to Jump for the Trapeze? 13. Who's the King or Queen of the Jungle? 14. "Honey, Do These Pants Make Me Look Fat?" 15. Can I Care Enough to Do the Little Things? 16. "Can You Just Call Me Willie, Mrs. Peterson?" 17. How Are Schools Transformed? 18. Why Do I Choose to Lead? 19. What Do Leaders Owe to Those Who Follow? 20. Can I Care Enough to Be My Own Best Friend? 21. Will That Be a Senior Cup of Coffee? 22. Your Leadership Becomes You! References Index

"Reading this book was an addictive sort of process. It has a very personal feel to it, as if the author was talking to the reader." -- Kathe Stanley, Art Teacher "I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author's personal stories were realistic, which made hispoints easy to envision. I am thankful to have the privilege to add this to my library." -- Douglas Rinaca, Sixth-Grade Teacher "Thank you for writing Caring Enough to Lead! This book has encouraged me in so many ways. God bless you and your creative genius!" -- Doris A. Ezell-Schmitz, Seventh-Grade Teacher "I absolutely loved Caring Enough to Lead. I was amazed to find someone who thinks just like I do. As I was reading, I found many real-life experiences with which I could identify. The scenarios, metaphors, and vignettes made the book come to life. Thank you for writing such an entertaining, yet educational text." -- Cathy Love, Social Studies Department Chair "In the universe of tedious tomes on leadership, Caring Enough to Lead exists on another planet, light years away from comparison to a textbook. This book is a thought-provoking conversation with the author, who proves in a few short chapters that the truths for effective leading are the same as the truths for successful living. Pellicer succeeds in guiding the reader with a humorous, touching, and personal style to reflect on the values and beliefs of true leaders." -- Gayle B. Sawyer, Executive Director "A valuable resource for all leadership development programs. It will not only motivate emerging leaders, but will inspire all leaders to reflect on their own journeys and appreciate the caring relationships valued in work and daily lives. Pellicer's writing speaks to your heart while so vividly illustrating the true meaning of leadership." -- Martha W. Mickler, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Learning "Strikes at the core of our national conversation about moral leadership. Through the art of storytelling, Pellicer helps us understand that becoming a loving, humble servant to those we lead is the real measure of strength in leadership. He makes a compelling case that masterful leadership is not about what you do, but who you are becoming. This book is a must-read for all leaders, from aspiring to retiring, who are interested in their own journey." -- Nancy Stanford-Blair, Professor of Leadership Studies, Cardinal Stritch University "Pellicer reminds educators why we entered the education field in the first place. He has hit the proverbial nail on its head, and I highly encourage all graduate schools of education and all teacher leaders to make this book required reading!" -- Candace Bower, Director, Genessee Region Teacher Center "Pellicer's work continues to inspire another generation of school leaders. My students are hungry for the profound, for the deep, and for the internal insight into the work that they do. This book provides a platform and a space for this to happen." -- Mary Ann Kahl, Professor