Tag Archives: Learning

A Tribute for Dr. Tom Williams… The Epitome of Servant-based Leadership for Education…

23 Friday May 2025

Posted by in Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Servant, Tribute

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I found out yesterday that one of my mentors, Dr. Tom Williams, suddenly passed away. I have been very fortunate to have such people who have influenced and mentored me outside my family. Dr. Williams is one of those.

I first met Dr. Williams when I started my master’s degree at Mississippi College. I remember him saying, “Glad you are here; when you finish your Master’s in Math, you start the Ed Leadership program.” I was like, “Sure…” and ever since then, I have had a leadership mentor who was always there to listen first and then give advice. I do not know what I did to befriend Dr. Williams beyond the student-professor relationship. I do not understand why he took an interest in me. I did not know, at the time, how much of a mentor he would become and how much of his influence I would develop into my leadership style. Looking back, I still do not know, but I will forever be thankful. Even now, at 53 years old, I value the influence and mentoring Dr. Williams provided me.

So, here is my tribute to Dr. Williams…

I’m writing today to tell of a person who modeled servant-based leadership to its finest degree. I only knew Dr. Williams as a college professor at Mississippi College and as a friend now for 20-plus years. Looking at his resume would make you dizzy with all he had done in education and almost every possible role, and he is one of the best I have ever seen on this front. His ability to encourage is textbook-worthy. My friend Nason Lollar and I were reminiscing last night on the phone about Dr. Williams, along with a few other greats we have both had in our lives. We concluded that if we can be half the encourager for future educators that Dr. Williams was, not only for us but for all, then we will succeed. While we can never replace them, we can only stand on the shoulders of these educational leadership giants.

Dr. Williams fits the mold of “often imitated but never duplicated.” His heart for education transcends into many lives he touched, and as an educator, he valued education while serving others, and he did just that. Education needs more educators like Tom Williams because people like Tom Williams are extraordinary educational leaders. As a lifelong educator, Dr. Williams helped shape my future through his influence and so many others, which we must remember to do and value as well.

So, I am sad that I lost someone I adored, admired, respected, appreciated, loved, etc. However, I am glad I am a better educational leader because of Dr. Williams. I will miss the many talks we had when we saw each other or on the phone. By far, he is one of servant-based leadership’s greats. I am grateful for the time I have had as his student and colleague, as I am sure many of you have also had him as a professor and worked with him. His impact on our lives leaves a legacy that will ripple through education for years to come. Dr. Tom Williams was my professor, my colleague, an inspiration, one of my leadership heroes, and my mentor. Most importantly, Dr. Williams was my friend, and I will miss him…

To take this quote from the movie The Emperor’s Club is to embody what Dr. Williams is:

“A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams, and they will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives.” 

I hope you have a mentor in your life like the ones I have had and currently do. It will make you better, regardless of your age. Allow someone to invest in you so you can invest in others. The value of a mentor is needed in all areas of life, including education.

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

A Teacher Appreciation and a Tribute to Charlotte Walker…

09 Friday May 2025

Posted by in Appreciation, Classroom Leadership, Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Respect, Servant, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers, Tribute

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Well, it’s Teacher Appreciation Week again. That one week where we recognize the value teachers have that we should be recognizing all year long, but I digress…

So, in keeping with themes from my past blogs during this Teacher Appreciation Week, a thank you to all educators. The value you bring to helping society is always welcomed.

And now, an appreciation and a tribute to a friend who is retiring…

For 34 years, Charlotte Walker has poured her heart, soul, and unmatched intellect into the field of education, leaving an enduring mark on Clinton High School and on generations of students and teachers alike. As a history teacher, she has taught nearly every subject the department offers, with a depth of knowledge and a passion that has made history come alive in her classroom. Currently, excelling in teaching Economics and AP Macroeconomics.

For 16 of those years, she served as department head, leading with a steady hand, quiet strength, and a deep, unwavering support for every teacher under her wing. New and young teachers, especially found in her, a mentor who believed in them from day one. Charlotte made it her mission to support others, always placing herself last.

Beyond the classroom, Charlotte’s leadership showed through the extracurricular programs she championed. For 12 years, she led the mock trial team. She also sponsored the economics trial team and the international summit competition group, both of which regularly placed among the top. Her mentorship helped shape the minds of her students. A master of diplomacy herself, Charlotte is admired not only for her sharp intellect but also for her warmth, patience, and ability to treat every member of the department and Clinton High School as a vital part of the whole. But, being the wise sage she is, never think you could pull something past her. She always knew…

Charlotte has been the epitome of excellence, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the educational mission that the Clinton Public School District welcomes, culminating in this last year as being chosen as Clinton High School’s teacher of the year. Her influence reaches far beyond lesson plans and test scores. She has cultivated a culture of encouragement, integrity, and quiet strength. She has reminded us all what it means to lead not by position but by presence. Also, being a National Board Certified Teacher, she was the touchpoint person and mentor for many who have pursued and earned National Board status at Clinton.

When I first arrived at Clinton, even though I didn’t know Charlotte, she immediately made me feel welcome, even though I was not part of the history department. She extended a genuine friendship, one that both of us will carry far into the future. I will miss the daily dose of Charlotte’s subtle wit and our common thinking ground, especially missing her deep, thoughtful knowledge of Reformed Theology during our Monday morning coffee club Bible study group. We have had many heartfelt conversations and solved most of life’s problems, wishing the world would listen, and her two words at the end of our discussions, “You think?” or telling me, “You’re a good man, Charlie Brown.” I am deeply grateful for the time I’ve spent as an educator alongside her, as I’m sure many of you are as well. Her impact on students’ lives, and on all of ours, is immeasurable. A legacy she leaves.

Education needs more educators like Charlotte Walker because people like Charlotte Walker are extraordinary educators. She is my teaching colleague and, in many ways, a mentor and a confidant. Most importantly, Charlotte is my friend.

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Knowledge by acquaintance leadership – Boots on the ground, sleeves rolled up, get in the trenches, and get dirty…

02 Friday May 2025

Posted by in Acquaintance, Actions, Christian Worldview, Classroom Leadership, Description, Education, Educational Leadership, Empathy, Encouragement, Inspiration, Knowledge, Leader, Leadership, Listening, Teachers, Trust, Uncategorized, Understanding, Value, Wisdom

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This past week, I finished reading The Beauty of Divine Grace by Gabriel N .E. Fluhrer. In chapter five, Fluhrer cites Bertrand Russell’s famous distinction between knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description with the following thought by Fluhrer…

“If we know God’s providence, only by description, if all we possess is a secondhand knowledge of it, we will acknowledge His providence but we will not fall in love with it. If, on the other hand, we know God’s providence by acquaintance, we have fallen in love with the God of the sun and the storm, we will not have just intellectual ascent to his providence. We will also have a deep affection for the incomparable, glorious, sovereign God.”¹

Fluhrer’s quote should be a great perspective for our Christian Worldview, and Russell’s distinction is so simple and profound for leadership. Knowing something through description is entirely different from knowing it through personal experience, and that’s where I believe we have a problem with leadership today, and it got me thinking…

In a world overflowing with topical books, theoretical knowledge, or secondhand “expertise,” many leaders operate solely with knowledge by description. They make decisions based on what they have read or seen, reports, analytics, someone else’s summaries, or better yet – what they have been told. While this type of knowledge is valuable and needed to make informed decisions (think data-driven decision-making), it can never replace the deep understanding that comes through direct engagement.

Strong leadership requires knowledge by acquaintance. I call it “boots on the ground, sleeves rolled up, get in the trenches, and get dirty leadership.” Leaders must be familiar with the real dynamics of their leadership roles, how they transcend to the team they represent, and their assigned tasks. It’s a contrast between the true challenges of any organization and the difference between a manager/boss who reads about what the mission is and a leader who spends time alongside their teams, listening, learning firsthand, and working.

Here is what experience does… it helps others, it builds credibility, it shapes judgment, it fosters empathy, it creates understanding. Leaders who only rely on knowledge by description risk becoming detached, making decisions that sound good on paper but fail in practice because they have never been in the trenches with those they lead. Those with direct acquaintance, however, lead with wisdom rooted in reality.

It seems that most people today want and reward quick knowledge over deep understanding. But enduring leadership, the kind that builds trust and achieves lasting success, comes from leaders willing to engage personally, take risks, and learn through experience. They get dirty in the practice of acquaintance.

True leadership isn’t about knowing of the path; it’s about walking it and helping others do the same.

¹Fluhrer, G. N. E. (2022). The beauty of divine grace. Ligonier Ministries.

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Stop Leading to Survive – Start Leading with Purpose

25 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by in Actions, Anchored, Character, Circumstances, Clarity, Classroom Leadership, Compassion, Conviction, Education, Educational Leadership, Emotion, Emotional Temperature, Empathy, Empower, Know Your Why, Leader, Leadership, Mixed Signals, Purpose, Teachers, Transformational, Trust

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Have you noticed lately how society wants to make leadership complex and move at a speed that is too fast? All you have to do is just look around. Also, you may notice that many leaders are not leading from a deep sense of purpose; they’re leading from a place of longing. Longing for meaning, for validation, and for results, often defaulting to a “whatever works” philosophy. However, when they start chasing effectiveness without direction, they sacrifice the very essence of leadership – clarity, conviction, and character.

Leadership is meant to be anchored in purpose – with a strong, stable, and consistent foundation. Without it, even the most charismatic or skilled leaders drift, and depending on the strength and speed of the current, they can be taken anywhere. When purpose is missing, decisions become reactive rather than proactive, and strategies become short-sighted rather than transformative. A leader may gain temporary success, but the tell-tale signs of losing something far more valuable will be seen, which are trust, direction, and emotional resilience.

The tragedy is that the longing for meaning, validation, and results, when left unmet, often leads to purposeless leadership. It becomes a cycle; the more leaders seek to find purpose in external wins, the more disconnected they become from internal values. Without emotional alignment, leadership becomes mechanical and goes through the motions. The spark is gone, passion is replaced by pressure, and vision gives way to vagueness.

True leadership flows from inner conviction, not circumstantial or situational convenience. It requires doing the hard work of defining your “why” before driving the “what.” Purpose brings focus and fuels positive emotions of hope, empathy, and courage, all of which are essential for inspiration and creating a lasting impact.

Time-trusted leadership does not settle for what merely works – that’s survival. Instead, it pursues what matters – that’s significance. The world doesn’t need more successful leaders. It needs and requires more purposeful ones! Those who lead with clarity, conviction, and character.

It doesn’t matter where or at what level your leadership takes place, when leaders are clear about their purpose, they can offer others a reason to follow. At the heart of all great leadership is not just action but meaning, purposeful meaning.

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.