Do they advance your ideas about what kind of leader you are or will be?
It may seem early to be thinking about it but, in the not too distant future, you may be called upon to take a leadership position in the early childhood field. One thing to do is to keep alert to interesting ideas for community connections and leadership possibilities. Another is to think about the dispositions that are most important to possess. In this chapter, we will next talk about collaboration and communication skills and the qualities or dispositions that are important for your work as an early educator. These same qualities are essential to connected leadership. No doubt you will feel a response to some of these ideas, mentally noting which ones you feel comfortable with and which ones are in need of development.
After reading the upcoming sections, take some time to look back at the dispositions you recorded as part of Chapter 2. Are some of the dispositions the same? Do they advance your ideas about what kind of leader you are or will be? Do they tell you more about how you need to grow in order to be a leader?
Next, add any new dispositions spoken about in this leadership section and in the sections on collaboration and communication to their appropriate places in the Dispositions Target from Chapter 2.
(continued)