Keeping Your Shield: Becoming a Warrior Principal

The word “warrior” calls up an image of a forceful, aggressive person. Such is the image of Spartan warriors, whose mothers called upon them to return with their shields or on them.

But for the Tibetan Buddhist, the warrior is one who seems ordinary yet beneath the surface holds extraordinary strength. Armed not with weapons but with compassion and insight, such a person can come from any job or station but is ready at a moment’s notice to defend life from powerful enemies. These warriors value courage, social justice, and excellence, and these values propel them into situations that would otherwise overcome them.

As a principal, Jeff amassed many experiences that taught him the importance of a warrior’s mindset in the field of education. As an educator of future teachers and principals, he found himself recounting these tales for the benefit of the next generation of educators. And now, as an author, he has recorded his stories to show the benefit of blending these ideas of what a warrior is—and what a warrior can be on behalf of today’s students.