|
|
I’m astounded by the capacity we possess as humans to create.
I’m not talking about technology, though being a post WWII baby-boomer, I’m still as wowed by computers, GPS devices, and I-Pods as my Aunt Dee (1905-2005) was by toaster ovens, microwaveable popcorn, and dental floss. (She lived long enough to share my astonishment at paying $3 for a cup of coffee—even one as creative as a low-fat, no-foam, caramel macchiato with room.)
What I’m talking about is the capacity we have as humans to envision the extraordinary and then—if need be—re-order our entire lives to achieve it. Examples are plentiful and everywhere: amputees who run marathons, penniless immigrants who become affluent, social entrepreneurs who build new organizations to solve old problems, and business people who create jobs—the list could go on.
People who accomplish the extraordinary face the same—and sometimes even greater than usual—obstacles, roadblocks, and detours as others, but they find ways to overcome everything standing between them and the future they envision. This is a profound capacity that is uniquely human.
For an inspirational refresher course on just how much people can accomplish, I recommend a new book, Life Entrepreneurs by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek. The authors interviewed fifty-five people—some with celebrity name recognition, some without—who are, in the words of the book’s subtitle, “ordinary people creating extraordinary lives.”
According to the authors, life entrepreneurs discover their core identity and then, by design, structure their lives around maximizing that identity. In so doing, they create extraordinary lives for themselves—and others.
It is a bit unusual to read that latter word, others, in a modern culture where everything is, of course, about me. But while life entrepreneurs, like everyone else, are striving to get what they want out of life, Gergen and Vanourek say that one of the characteristics of the life entrepreneurs they interviewed, is that they “came to the conclusion that it’s not all about them . . . . many have become deeply connected, civic-minded leaders.”
Among other things, that caused me to think about charter school board members. Perhaps you don’t consider your life to be extraordinary, but as a volunteer, you contribute time so that other people’s kids will have opportunities. If your board governs well, you have the potential to create an extraordinary future for kids—one that might not have otherwise existed. I’d say that makes your life pretty extraordinary.
I encourage your board to spend some time talking about the extraordinary future that your school could create. Read Life Entrepreneurs and dream big dreams. After all, charter schools weren’t created to be ordinary schools. They were intended to create the extraordinary.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Brian Carpenter is CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute and author of Charter School Board University: An Introductory Course to Effective Charter School Board Governance and soon to be published, The Seven Outs Model: Strategic Planning Made Easy for Charter Schools.
For questions, or assistance in developing your board, you can reach him at (989) 205-4182 or
bcarpenter@nationalcharterschools.org.
©2008 National Charter Schools Institute
|
