Volume 4, Issue 7: April 2025

Finding the Calm Within

"Why, then, do you wonder that good men are shaken in order that they may grow strong? No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it.” - Seneca, On Providence 


April invites renewal and transformation - both in the season's shift around us and within ourselves. As the "tyranny of the urgent" can stir up moments of stress and tension, it becomes essential to seek moments that anchor us in calm and clarity. In this month's feature article, new Executive Director Sam Heisman reflects on the importance of cultivating a stabilizing inner presence—one that rises above the turbulence and offers a calm within.

Rooted, Not Retreating:

Self-Care Redefined

by Samuel Heisman, Incoming Executive Director, Great Hearts Texas
Great Hearts Harveston Head of School Samuel Heisman

"When all forms of edifying human activity—friendship, religious practice, good sleep, and so on—are tied to optimal performance at work, the leader is not cultivating themselves in a way that can withstand the winds of turbulence."


An interesting phenomenon arises almost immediately after your name appears as a school leader on a public website: within 24 hours, the inbox begins to populate with marketing emails peddling the latest EdTech solutions to perennial challenges in education. “Average daily attendance got you down? Use our Gen AI platform to design an ideal family communication and transportation plan!” or “We do the thinking for you: program your students for success in college and beyond with our intuitive, cloud-based learning software.” While these pitches are flawed in numerous ways—too many to list here—one trend has stood out more recently: the commercialized “package subscription” for leaders and educators which boasts improvements to self-care. 


“Escape the grind with our teacher leader self-care app” or “Release responsibilities with our delegation tools so you have more time for self-care.” It would seem then, that self-care is best achieved for an educator by temporarily forgetting that you are an educator!
Read More

Reflections on Change

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. Mr. Heisman suggests a new framing for self-care: "self-stabilization." How does this shift impact the way that you think about the activities that ground you?
  2. In what ways does traditional self-care suffice for you, and where does it fall short in stabilizing your personal and professional space?

Highlighting the Home Office

Home Office roles offer abundant opportunities for growth, and Brittani Greve’s progression from classroom teacher to Major Gifts Manager is a powerful example of how our network nurtures diverse leadership pathways.

Brittani Greve, Major Gifts Manager


Brittani Greve’s journey at Great Hearts is one defined by mission, growth, and heart. Drawn to the organization by its “profound sense of purpose,” Brittani found a compelling contrast to her previous experience in public education: “At Great Hearts, there was a clear emphasis on cultivating lifelong learners and critical thinkers.” She began as an aide and reading interventionist, later becoming a Kindergarten teacher. After a brief pause to care for her children, she returned during COVID to support students online across Arizona and Texas.


Her transition into development work felt like a natural next step, one that blended her perspective as both an educator and a parent, and she joined the Arete team as the Family Giving Officer. “I felt uniquely positioned to speak with families about the importance and the honor of supporting our teachers and students. Watching a family light up when they realize the difference their generosity can make—that never gets old,” she reflects. What began as an intimidating step into fundraising grew into a deep passion, ultimately leading to her promotion as Major Gifts Officer and now Major Gifts Manager, where she oversees the team of Major Gift Officers.
Read More

Leading Young Hearts

Did you know that Great Hearts has a preschool model? Would you or someone you know be interested in helping Great Hearts found a new Young Hearts preschool in Scottsdale? Become a Preschool Director and explore a new pathway to leadership! Apply today!

Highlighted Opportunities

Each month, Grow with Great Hearts curates a short listing of highlighted opportunities - to share with you new avenues for growth available across our network. Feel free to share these opportunities with colleagues outside of Great Hearts, and receive a faculty/staff referral bonus.

Academy Leadership & Non-Teaching Positions


ARIZONA


LOUISIANA


TEXAS

Home Office Positions



AMERICA


ARIZONA

Growth Opportunities

This summer, the APEX Program for School Leadership is proud to introduce a new course to emerging leaders: Leadership and Liberal Education, led by Helen Hayes—former Great Hearts teacher, school leader, and seasoned mentor.


This course invites participants to engage with the unique challenges that arise within classical and liberal arts educational settings, where the aims of education differ meaningfully from mainstream models. We begin by exploring the foundational goals of a liberal arts education, using that lens to examine the complex, often subtle leadership demands that follow. While the course doesn’t promise easy solutions or mastery—these are, after all, challenges as deep as liberal education itself—it does aim to name those challenges clearly and offer practical tools to navigate them.


Whether you're just beginning your leadership journey or looking to deepen your perspective, this course is a compelling entry point into the APEX program—one that can illuminate your path for years to come.

 

You can register for this course using this link, or view the entire Summer Catalog here! Remember, courses are free for all Great Hearts employees! 


Have questions? Email jennifer.ramirez@greathearts.org.
REGISTER for APEX 

Visit the Careers website for updated information on ALL openings!

NON-TEACHING OPENINGS
OPENINGS BY ACADEMY    
LEADERSHIP OPENINGS
 

Questions or Suggestions? Email us today!
Logo for Great Hearts

www.GreatHeartsCareers.org
Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn
 

Great Hearts | 701 N 44th St Tuition-free classical K-12 academies | Phoenix, AZ 85008 US

Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Our Privacy Policy | Constant Contact Data Notice