Volume 3, Issue 4: December 2023

Grow with Great Hearts - December

This month, Grow with Great Hearts brings you the stories of two Great Hearts employees who have grown into new roles of leadership and service. Our feature article author this month is a friend to Great Hearts, Dr. D.C. Schindler. He recently presented a lecture entitled, "A Symbol of Authority" at the CIRCE Institute national conference and has generously offered us an extension of that lecture regarding the connection between leadership and authority.

Leadership and Authority

by Dr. D.C. Schindler, Professor of Metaphysics and Anthropology

“To be a good leader, one must love authority oneself.”

In his 1975 book, The Twilight of Authority, American sociologist Robert Nisbet described the various ways that the loss of a sense of authority has led to the erosion of our social bonds and the onset of a deep cultural crisis. We might add to this list of implications our tendency to shun authority in favor of unbuffered individual agency. We are losing our capacity for genuine leadership—by which I mean both our ability to be leaders and our ability to recognize and follow leaders. To recover this ability requires, among other things, the recovery of a deeper sense of the meaning of authority.

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These two Great Hearts all-stars speak to the pathways which led them to leadership, whether in the classroom or home office.

Damia McWatters

Director of People Operations

With just over nine years at Great Hearts, Damia McWatters is stepping into a new role as Director of People Operations. She was drawn to join Great Hearts as a teaching apprentice, because in her words, “I wanted better for American K-12 education than what I had seen of my own. Great Hearts is more than a rigorous curriculum—the attention to cultivating both hearts and minds in pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness is compelling.” After teaching 4^th and 5^th Grade for a number of years, Ms. McWatters joined the PD team as National Professional Development Manager, where she was responsible for much of the course builds in Brightspace. She credits the people of Great Hearts for helping her experience “a beautiful culture of generosity and learning.”

She has benefited from their support at every turn -- from her first days in the classroom to her role on the PD team. She shared, “I was humbled by the good grace and kindness of my colleagues. My supervisor was intentional about supporting my professional growth. I found that even outside the classroom, I was surrounded again by generous people who are passionate about supporting our teachers and our community well.” Ms. McWatters is particularly excited about the challenge of working toward smoother onboarding systems and overall systems integrations in her new role. “I enjoy the technical side of our work, and I even enjoy grumbling over a good spreadsheet puzzle from time to time, but I suppose any real sense of fulfillment found in those things comes from knowing that ultimately, our work helps support the good work that happens on campus.” Her personal goal for this year? “I’m trying to be more intentional about returning some of the same grace and goodwill that I’ve been afforded.”

Kerry Souza

Exceptional Student Services Coordinator

Leadership roles exist within and outside of the classroom, and for Kerry Souza, her pathway has taken her into the field of special education as a coordinator. She began as a Teacher-in-Residence within the Exceptional Student Services Pathway, and she reflected, "Navigating the Teacher-in-Residence program has been a great experience. I started the program right after graduating from my Master’s program, so I was still in ‘school mode’ when I began. The classes and instructors have been great, well-paced, and the course load has not been burdensome, even alongside the student teaching.

Ms. Souza is grateful that Great Hearts provides tuition assistance to her for this program, but she also deeply values her Headmaster who, in her words, “is always generous with her time and support.” She expresses her appreciation for the professional development sessions provided by the ESS team, saying, “The ESS team at the Phoenix Home Office has been tremendous. In addition, the ESS team I have the privilege to work with at North Phoenix make coming to work something I look forward to each day. I’d tell anyone considering the TIR program who has a heart for the students we serve to go for it. You’ll gain new and valuable skills that improve your teaching, learn new perspectives and practices to best meet the needs of all students, and add to your teaching toolbox.”

Image of the text Highlighted Opportunities

Each month, Grow with Great Hearts curates a short listing of highlighted opportunities - to share with you new avenues for growth available across our network. Feel free to share these opportunities with colleagues outside of Great Hearts, and receive a faculty/staff referral bonus.

Academy Leadership and Non-Teaching Positions

Headmaster (Invictus Upper) – San Antonio
Headmaster (Prairie View Lower) – Dallas/Ft. Worth
Headmaster (North Phoenix Prep) – Phoenix
Dean (Lakeside Lower) – Dallas/Ft. Worth
School Nurse (Maryvale Prep/Archway) – Phoenix
School Nurse (Lakeside Upper) – Dallas/Ft. Worth
Registrar (Archway Chandler) – Phoenix
Registrar (Northern Oaks Upper) – San Antonio
Facilities Technician (Veritas) – Phoenix
Facilities Technician (Irving Upper) – Dallas/Ft. Worth
Part-Time Facilities Technician (Lakeside Upper) – Dallas/Ft. Worth

Image of various home office staff members

Home Office Positions

ARIZONA

TEXAS

A Time for Reflection

In light of Dr. Schindler's conviction that leaders with authority must be virtuous, some mention of prominent author Dr. Alexandre Havard's work on virtuous leadership brings to light basic principles of magnanimity, humility, courage, and prudence. Learn more about his work here, and find an insightful reference document outlining his "Ten Virtuous Leadership Principles" below.

10 Leadership Principles

Questions or Suggestions? Email us today!

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