I found a few minutes to check my blog and post. We visited and are ready to head home early tomorrow morning.
This is an excerpt from a Martin Luther King Jr. passage. Being a servant is a significant part of being a leader.
If you want to be important–wonderful. If you want to be recognized–wonderful. If you want to be great–wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s your new definition of greatness. And this morning, the thing I like about it…by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great. Because everybody can be serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve, you don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.
About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning.
Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate
Teacher as Transformer 
I absolutely love this. I shall henceforth make it not only my goal to love and offer hope, but to be the servant EVER!
The best …typo-:)
It is a beautiful poem with such a powerful and transcendent message. It echoes across time.
So softly Christlike. You can never miss MLK, can you? … and a timely thought at the start of the year.
You are so right Jamie. There are those who transcend time with both words and actions. Yet, their words and actions carry a gentle message.
Very well said. Yes the acquiring of greatness carries great responsibilities.
Thank you Eric. Even living an ordinary life carries great responsibilities.
Wonderful and Inspiring post.
It is a state of mind within oneself and a redeeming force of love to be servant for ever.
That is so true Lvsrao. My ego gets in the way frequently and I forget to serve.
Beautiful and true. Thank you!!
You are welcome and thank you Jeanette.
Well said!
Thank you.
Thank you for all the likes! 😉
You are welcome.
A Celtic archetype called Bran said in a Celtic story “let him who be chief be a bridge to his people”. This is a piece of wisdom that I consider all leaders should adopt.
On the way home, Kathy and I stopped in a small bakery in Jasper. On the wall, was a painting with bridges. The quote was “There are seven billion bridges in the world.” Frequently, we think of bridges as something inorganic, but your quote and this one remind us they are alive, organic, and relational in nature.
Awesome and timely reminder of what we need always be. Thanks for sharing it. 🙂
I was glad to and you are welcome Elizabeth.
I liked it
http://catsgrace.wordpress.com/
Thank you for stopping by and liking it.
I love it!
Dr. King had a way with words spoken and written.