Have you ever noticed once an idea enters your mind it seems to pop up everywhere you turn? That's the impact a quote I heard last spring has had on me. The chairperson of the NMSA Visioning Task Force shared this quote from A Leader's Legacy by James Kouzes and Barry Posner:

Leadership is about taking people to places they've never been before, and we can't go to those places without courage. Leadership is courage in action. Courage gives us the energy to move forward. Courage gives us the confidence to believe we can make it. Courage gives us the strength to sustain ourselves in the darkest hours. Courage enables us to leave a legacy that declares, "I was here, and I made a difference."

Afterward, it seemed everywhere I turned I heard something that made me think of courage and leadership. At the recent NMSA Annual Conference in Houston, Cal Ripken, Jr. spoke about finding the courage to be a leader in those rare days when he wasn't performing up to his usual standard of excellence. Even when his bat was failing him, he discovered the younger players depended on him for guidance, both on and off the field. And, as you would expect from Cal Ripken, Jr., he found the courage to be a leader for his team. The closing keynoter, Dr. Mae Jemison, certainly displayed the courage of a leader by repeatedly "being willing to step into a minefield" of a controversial topic. She spoke with eloquence and passion about changes that must occur if all our nation's children are to receive quality education in the sciences. She will leave this as her legacy.

Perhaps you're thinking, "That's great if you're a public figure, but what about me?" Andy Warhol once said, "They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." Each of us has opportunities to assume roles of leadership within our own spheres of influence. One opportunity open to all individual members of NMSA is the MiddleTalk list serve. The members of this group not only provide practical instructional and emotional support, they challenge one another to think outside the usual. One of the frequent contributors ends her e-mails with this quote from Anne Frank, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." These committed educators display courage by reaching out to help and challenge one another. They may not describe themselves as leaders, but I certainly would.

Daily we are faced with challenges including difficult students, uncooperative teammates, frustrated parents, and school/district/federal policies with which we may disagree. Many of us are in schools where changes are being made in the name of accountability—changes like the loss of advisory programs, the elimination of exploratory classes, or the abandonment of other middle level concepts. Each of these challenges is actually an opportunity for you to be a courageous, collaborative leader. Will you speak out? For the first time, there is legislation in both the House and Senate that will provide much-needed resources for all middle level students, but especially for those students in schools of need. Will you speak out? This is your opportunity. Do you have the courage to leave a legacy that says you were here, and you made a difference?

Sincerely,

Theresa W. Hinkle
NMSA President