"When school leaders reflect on what keeps them in a highly challenging job, they typically describe the difference they make to the lives of children and the difference children make to their own lives. They describe how, on the "horrible days," they get an emotional lift by stopping by the classrooms to see children and celebrate their achievements."

And so begins Student-Centered Leadership by Viviane Robinson. Robinson is so correct in her portrayal of thoughtful educational leaders, and she includes teachers, principal and central office administrators when she refers to leaders.

In my own experience, the great days were the ones that allowed me to be in the classroom interacting with teachers and students. When it comes to great teachers and leaders, Robinson goes on to write,

"But they are just as aware of the children they have not reached-the children for whom school was a place of failure and humiliation or the children for whom school did make a difference but not enough to overcome the challenges of their family circumstances."

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