70: On the Shoulders of Giants

It is difficult to imagine a meaningful preparation for educational leadership that is not grounded in fieldwork, in examining and reflecting upon what is real about our practice. For only when we identify and engage our own problems, in all their complexity and robust individuality, can we begin to identify underlying assumptions, make particular actions problematic, and then investigate alternatives. The processes of critical field-based inquiry and reflection lead to greater depth in interpretation and, perhaps more importantly, they also clarify the realization that we are ourselves actors within the reality we are investigating. That is, we must acknowledge our own responsibility—that we are implicated in, and not separate from the problems we face.