Grow with Great Hearts invites you to reflect upon and apply content from our feature articles and other stories to your own practice of leadership.

This month's prompts in the spirit of retrospection:

1. In Dr. Scoggin's reflection, he shares a time in his life when he was feeling a bit lost, and his mother's prompt for to attend a summer program changed the course of his life. What events have impacted the course of your life in a similar way, and specifically how did they impact you?
2. Take a moment to consider the moral exemplars in your life - who are they, and how have they shaped you?

Interested in what your network friends are reading this month?

This month, Grow with Great Hearts found a few People Team members with their nose in a book!

• From Julia Gillingham, Director of HR (Arizona): "I'm reading The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon. A non-fiction book about every day Americans who had significant though little recognized impact in their community, it is a feel-good read about how even little acts of kindness and goodness have lasting impact and make up our great country."
• From Damia McWatters, Director of People Operations: "I'm reading C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. It's hilarious and delightful and terrifying and convicting all in one go so far."
• From Kiann Mapes, Sr. VP of Talent and Katherine Mickley, National Recruiter, "We are reading My God and My All; The Life of St. Francis of Assisi, by Elizabeth Goudge. The stories about Francis and his brothers (first Franciscans) are startling and moving (and funny). We appreciate learning about the ways that even the earliest formative work of an initially small group intersected with/shaped other cultural and political dynamics of the age (early 1200's)."
• From Cara Weddington, National Recruiter: "Each year I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I love reading this book every year during the holiday season because it is a wonderful story of compassion and redemption. It explores issues of poverty, classism, and community all in a book that you can read very quickly."

Marcy Mitchel

Headmaster

Northern Oaks Lower School

Classical education drew Marcy Mitchel to Great Hearts, especially the focus on the moral formation of children through building habits of virtue. “The model aligned with our family values,” she said. “I was as a parent and Kindergarten teacher in the inaugural year for Great Hearts Northern Oaks, then served as Assistant Headmaster for almost 9 years before stepping into the role of Headmaster.”

In stepping into this new role on her campus, Headmaster Mitchel attributes to her growth and confidence to participation in the Headmaster College (former Great Hearts leadership program) and ProSeminar, as well her lengthy experience as Assistant Headmaster. “Under the tutelage of Headmaster Keffer and Headmaster Brogan, I have been able to grow in my ability to build relationships with teachers through coaching and training the best practices in classroom management and instruction.”