By Kate Wade, Editor in Chief, gcLi Blog, English Department Chair & Coach, The Fenn School, Concord (MA), LL’11, gcLi Scholar ‘13, Penn-gcLi Scholarship ‘14
My daughter staged an intervention this August. “Mom. There’s a better way to organize. I have an idea.” Inspired by a YouTube video on a crafting channel, she was getting really excited about some “Mom Hacks” that she wanted to introduce to our family. At first, I was incredibly reticent. Even as a proud teacher of leadership, I can be reluctant to change, and am certainly averse to giving up control. I’ve folded towels the same way my whole life. Yet an organization revolution was happening whether I liked it or not. She saw that the systems in place could be improved and she was going to let us know how to do it. I acquiesced. And I’m so grateful to this nine year old who thinks differently from me. I’m now the student and she’s the teacher. I’ve learned instead of folding, how to roll towels like organizational guru Marie Kondo shows in her instructional clips. I have a feeling this is only the beginning.
While her climate strike began back in 2018, 16 year old Greta Thunberg recently embarked upon a transatlantic voyage aboard a zero-emissions sailing vessel headed for New York. At the U.N. Climate Action Summit last week, she continued to make headlines and catalyze an international conversation about the health of our planet. A Swedish climate change activist with Aspergers (her “superpower”), Ms. Thunberg has spoken publicly about the failure of the adults in our world to take action in response to the science presented by scientists across the globe, and last week highlighted by a new multi-agency report United In Science. She continues her dedication to growing global awareness with a recurring school strike every Friday. In a press conference this past spring, she had searing words for her elders: “Many of you appear concerned that we [students] are wasting valuable lesson time, but I assure you we will go back to school the moment you start listening to the science and give us a future … Avoiding climate breakdown will require cathedral thinking. We must lay the foundation while we may not know exactly how to build the ceiling.” Ms. Thunberg sees that her generation is being failed by the adults in their lives and she is compelled to act. While climate change revolution and rolling towels aren’t exactly in the same category, each situation shares common ground: young people who use their voices for positive change CAN make an impact in real time. Often overlooked, yet engaged in deeply meaningful and purposeful work, black and brown student leaders like Isra Hirsi, Anya Sastry, Autumn Peltier, and Jerome Foster II have been on the frontlines raising awareness and pushing for legislation to address the reality that communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change. Additionally, powerful youth voice extends beyond the climate movement. As we’ve witnessed from the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglass highschool in Parkland, FL who have had #ENOUGH gun violence and refuse to sit on the sidelines, young people are finding their voices and using them to enact change in their worlds.
It’s not just about their voices, though. The theme across these examples is that the young people are creating a ripple effect in the adult world. More and more “grown-ups” are beginning to recognize the importance of listening to this next generation. Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour heard Ms. Thunberg’s message and within weeks, auctioned off his guitars, including his famous “black strat,” with all proceeds going to non-profit ClientEarth. He shared on social media that “the global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face and we are within a few years of the effects being irreversible.” But he didn’t stop there. He didn’t take credit for the idea. Instead, he continued, “As Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, said in a speech earlier this year, ‘Either we choose to go on as a civilisation, or we don’t.’ The choice really is that simple and I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their cause to use the law to bring about real change.” As I read his Twitter post, I couldn’t help but think about our leadership lessons at the gcli Leadership Lab (June 19-25, 2020). At the Lab, a critical effort is made to dismantle the idea that leadership is about who has the loudest voice. In fact, each summer we reflect on the idea that following can be in itself an act of leadership. While it is commendable that Mr. Gilmour generated over $21 million for ClientEarth, it is perhaps even more impressive that he recognizes the compelling and persuasive voice of his new colleague in activism, Ms. Thunberg.
The ripple effect that Mr. Gilmour is contributing to is one that we all can participate in. As educators, we must ask ourselves if we are in fact following those who are taking the greatest risks themselves. If you’ve seen the “dancing man” video, or the film Sparticus, you know what I’m talking about. A movement is never just one voice. At gcLi we aim to follow Mr. Gilmour’s lead and hope to create a ripple effect of our Pedagogy of Leadership™ so as to truly make a positive impact on our world. Additionally, as an adult recently humbled by the feedback from my daughter, I’m also thinking about Ms. Thunberg’s insistence on “cathedral thinking.” How can we adults do a better job of moving out of the way, of making space for our young people to lay their foundations? We often think we grown-ups know better or that these kids aren’t capable. Yet we are now seeing, in the face of grave adult failures, the capability, capacity, empathy, and urgency of this next generation. In order for real change to occur in our society, leadership growth in our school communities depends so significantly on not only the inclusion of youth voice but the primacy of it. Let the young people in your world take over, re-design and re-think the systems in place, disrupt the status quo. As uncomfortable as it is to be scolded, as Ms. Thunberg does so with her matter-of-fact delivery and science-based evidence, it seems the world is no longer in our hands alone. If we are truly educators engaged in the meaningful work of teaching leadership, perhaps the most important lesson is to know when we ourselves are the students, and like David Gilmour, follow the voices – and leadership – of our young people. Maybe, we should just “leave those kids alone” and let them show us the way forward.
Photo Credit: David Gilmour Image:
Image author: https://www.flickr.com/photos/one_schism/284583650/
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/[vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator border_style=”dashed”][/vc_column][/vc_row]Kate Wade: While attending gcLi in June of 2011, Ms. Wade started to dream about providing opportunities for her students, particularly sophomores, to learn about their strengths and show them that being their best selves means positively influencing others. In partnership with her advising team at The Rivers School, she developed RISE (“Reflection and Introspection Through Service Education”), a tenth grade program that encourages and supports student growth and the development of leadership skills and qualities through service learning. Currently the English Department Chair and Coach at The Fenn School, an all boys middle school in Concord, MA, she actively collaborates with colleagues to bring the Pedagogy of Leadership™ to life on a daily basis. Through her recent work as Editor in Chief of the gcLi blog, she has thoroughly enjoyed connecting with all facets of the gcLi family and invites you to reach out if you have an idea you’d like to share with our community!