Shannon Hathcock

Shannon F. Hathcock, Department of Organizational Leadership, Oakland University. Correspondence

concerning this Ethical Belief Statement should be addressed to Shannon Hathcock, Department of
Organizational Leadership, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309 Contact:
Shannonhathcock@oakland.edu

Ethical Belief Statement

This I Believe…………
Leadership

• Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality (Warren G. Bennis)

• Leadership is having a compelling vision, a comprehensive plan, relentless implementation, and
talented people working together (Alan Mulally)
• Creating a climate of possibility and learning how to grow others
• Lighting of a fire within people that they didn’t know existed
• Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world (Nelson
Mandela)
• serving the needs of all students
• believing in the worth and dignity of each human being
• pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence
• highest ethical standards
• respect
• realize his or her potential as a worthy and effective member of society.
• stimulate the spirit of inquiry, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the
thoughtful formulation of worthy goals.
• promote a climate that encourages the exercise of professional judgment,
• Self Control, Self Discipline and Integrity
• School leaders must create a foundation of success that draws from the strengths of the
teachers and staff who interact with students.
• Sensitivity and Understanding

Vision
 • The only thing you have that nobody else has is YOU. Your voice, your mind, your story, your
vision. So, write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can (Neil Gailman)
• Having a vision. It is the ability to see the invisible. If you can see the invisible, you can achieve
the impossible (Shiv Khera)

Community

• Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better
than you found it (Marian Wright Edelman)

Family

• Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and
our comfort when we occasionally falter. (Brad Henry)
• Sense of loyalty, selflessness, love, and genuine care and concern for others
• Nobody gets left behind or forgotten
• Family is the single most important influence in a child’s life. From their first moments of life,
children depend on parents and family to protect them and provide for their needs. They are a
child’s first teachers and act as a role model in how to act and how to experience the world
around them.

Learning

• The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.
(Brian Herbert)
• Its not about being the best. Its about being better than you were yesterday.
• Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever (Mahatma Gandhi)
• Knowledge will bring you the opportunity to make a difference (Claire Fagin)
• Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners (John
Holt)
• Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself (John Dewey)
• Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today
(Malcom X)
• I believe it is my responsibility to create a love of curiosity in learning for my students, staff, and
community. Curiosity will help to drive the active engagement of learning and growth amongst
all stakeholders.

Communication
 • Collaboration is a key part of the success of any organization, executed through a clearly defined
vision and mission, based on transparency and constant communication
• If you want to change your life, begin by changing your words. Start speaking the words of your
dreams, of who you want to become, not the words of fear and failure (Robert Kiyosaki)

Commitment

• When you educate one person you can change a life, when you educate many you can change
the world (Shai Reshef)

Integrity

• I believe integrity is the honesty that is in your heart and represents who you are as a human
being. One’s integrity is how you are trusted and perceived by your staff, students, families, and
community. Integrity is the building block from which all relationships are built.

Partnership

• I believe that building positive partnerships with staff, students, families, and the community is
extremely important. I see the school and my leadership as an extension of the family. I see
myself, my school, my staff, my families, and my community as ONE. We are the village that will
help to shape the minds of the children that will grow up to share the gifts that we have shared
with them throughout their lives.

Diversity

• I believe in building a capacity to understand, actively explore, and continuously celebrate

diversity with all stakeholders within the building that I lead. Diversity is what makes us unique
and interesting and helps us to live in a beautiful world.

Character

• I believe that character is how we show the world who we are as an individual, a family, a
school, and a community. Character development is key is creating a positive partnership with
families that builds a bond that will transcend time.

Encouragement

• I believe that encouragement is what helps everyone grow. I believe that failure is not an
option, yet an inevitability. I believe that it is my responsibility to encourage all stakeholders in
ways that show them how to welcome and learn from failure which ultimately helps all of us to
grow.

I would like to review and develop my beliefs by examining the information below:
We believe:

• Programs of quality promote learner-centered experiences and collaborative

planning among the college teacher-educators, liberal arts faculty, K-12
practitioners and pre-service programs.
• Programs of quality promote inquiry and reflectivity, and develop leadership
to improve professional practice.
• Programs of quality provide a learning environment encouraging teachers to
inquire into the context of learning and practice, act on beliefs, critique their
own learning and teaching, and accept their research as an authentic and
important means of improving practice.
• Programs of quality facilitate curriculum and instruction honoring diversity in
gender, ethnicity, culture, language, social class, and exceptionalities.
• Programs of quality promote modeling as an essential aspect of effective
teacher education. Faculty in teacher education will model excellent teaching
as defined by current research, applied practice, and professional
experience.
• Faculty in programs of quality engage in teaching in authentic settings and
utilize research for the direct purpose of enhancing educational practices.
• Programs of quality offer opportunities for students to examine the moral
purposes of education and put into practice a philosophy of learning and
• eaching that is inclusive and based on a personal ethical platform.
• Programs of quality see change and innovation as an essential element in
learning, teaching and leadership, and promote practices which value
students, teachers and administrators as change agents in educational
settings.
• Programs of quality prepare teachers to work in and contribute to society
utilizing community resources and interacting with its constituency.
• Programs of quality prepare teachers to advocate for students valuing self-
determination and fairness, and believing in the right for all students to
succeed.
• Programs of quality promote the practice of leadership by providing
opportunities for accepting different roles, becoming a leader in the school,
community, and in engaging self-development.