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Hello. My name is Christina Yuknis, and I am an ASCD Class of 2011 Emerging Leader.
In this vlog, I will explain three things. First, I will give some background about ASCD.
Second I will describe the Emerging Leaders program, and third I will share my experience
last week at the Leader to Leader (L2L) conference.
ASCD was founded in 1943 as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Now, the organization is just known as ASCD. ASCD dedicated to advancing best practices
for the success of each learner.
The organization has over 160,000 members in almost 150 countries around the world.
Members are professional educators at all levels of education: from classroom teachers,
principals, curriculum specialists, superintendents, teacher educators, and board of education
members. It is very diverse. One key initiative of ASCD is called the Whole Child Initiative.
And that’s really a big reason why I was drawn to and joined ASCD. I really feel that
it is important to teach the child as a person, as a whole person, and not focus solely on
the academic or cognitive development. The vision is “Each child, in each school, in
each of our communities deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.”
To learn more about ASCD and the Whole Child Initiative, visit the website at ASCD.org.
The Emerging Leaders program was established in 2005 to build the leadership capacity within
the younger ranks of the organization. To be selected as an emerging leader, there are
several criteria: have been in the profession between 5 and 15 years; have not previously
been involved in a leadership capacity within ASCD; hold promise as a leader; demonstrate
a passion for teaching, learning, and leadership; and are committed to ASCD’s beliefs and
to pursuing leadership opportunities. For the class of 2011, 36 people were selected
for the emerging leaders program from over 200 applications! Wow! That’s a big honor!
The Emerging Leader program is a 2-year program that starts with the Leader to Leader (L2L)
conference and continues by working with a mentor, developing an action plan, and participating
in different pathways in ASCD. My personal goal, my big goal is to influence education
policy, but I’m also interested in exploring other avenues such as writing for ASCD publications
and serving as a leader in the organization.
Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in the Leader to Leader (L2L) conference.
It’s a really unique conference. First, you must be invited to attend. Every person
who attended the conference is a leader within ASCD, and the conference itself is very unique.
For example, on the first day I went for the opening session. There was a huge room with
a lot of tables already set up. There were many people already there chatting and socializing.
I didn’t know anyone, so I was a little nervous. I found an empty table and put my
things down and prepared for the presentation. A woman came to join me at the table. We started
doing introductions, and I found out the woman is the president-elect of ASCD! I was amazed
that she would sit at a table with me and how she made me feel welcomed.
Later, during the evening reception, I was talking with people, and another woman came
over to join my group. We did the introductions again, and this woman turned out to be on
the Board of Directors. Already on my first day, I met two people who were high up in
ASCD’s leadership! Wow! That was really impressive! Everyone was very friendly and
welcoming! The theme of L2L was to charge us to “Revolutionize
the Way We Learn.” Many of our discussions and sessions focused on how we can revolutionize
education. No one had any solid answers, but we all were very eager and willing to commit
to this idea. What I really loved about this conference
was that I connected with other emerging and established leaders within the organization.
Although I don’t have any solid answers for how to revolutionize the way we learn,
I have begun the dialogues and brainstorms. Later, I will develop a plan of action. For
now, I am looking forward to what the next two years will bring for me as an emerging
leader, and I am excited to revolutionize education!