Teachability…I’m laughing out loud right now!!!  I guess I should look at this as irony since my husband has joked with everyone this past week that I’ve entered the technology age screaming and clawing my way into it.  Oh well, we’ve found that I am living proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks!  He/she may not be happy about it, but eventually we wear down if not just to save our shattered nervous systems!

    The first step under this leadership trait talks about curing your destination disease.  I understand this completely, for I’ve changed my destination several times as Lawton Academy has grown and taken several sidesteps from my original plan.  As we’ve all seen, the sidesteps were beneficial and necessary for the school to be relevant today.  

    Overcoming one’s success is another part of this trait.  I’ve found myself giving more and more of the leadership role to my daughter, Mrs. Smith.  She’s become the spokesperson for the school and has handled this responsibility quite well.  It was a joy for me to recognize this shift by proclaiming a “Thank You, Mrs. Smith Day” at the school.  My pride in her easily replaced my pride in the past accomplishments I experienced in my own career.  

    Swearing off shortcuts is another positive act towards being teachable.  I’ve never liked shortcuts unless it was one I developed to help a struggling student catch up to his classmates in his academic skills.  I learned a long time ago from Mr. D. Clemmer, and from my husband that to be successful, you have to “spend money to make money.”  That rule applies to quality, not just monetary value.  If you want students to respect and take care of the property, you have to do the same,  starting with good quality property.  If you want a quality program of education, you must hire quality teachers and staff.  It is not enough for an applicant to tell us he/she has a teaching certificate.  We  expect an applicant who is multitalented, credentialed, etc.

    The last guideline listed in these qualities of a leader states, “Never pay twice for the same mistakes.”  I can truly say that when I’ve made mistakes, I made sure not to pay for that same mistake again.  So, now people know why my computer equipment is referred to by friends and family as the “Dinosaur Pit of Technology.”  Once I’m able to produce the product, I refuse to go out and buy the latest new version of something that is working fine for me.        Kay