Lessons on Nurturing Hearts and Minds

Irvin Scott has long believed that everyone has a story worth telling and, after reaching a 30-year milestone in his career, he decided it was time to tell his own. The result is Leading with Heart and Soul: 30 Inspiring Lessons of Faith, Learning, and Leadership for Educators, based on Scott’s experiences as a parent, teacher, principal, district superintendent, foundation leader, and senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Scott recently sat down to share some macro lessons from his new book which he says he wrote to encourage and support others from all walks of life “to do the hard and fulfilling work of educating America’s future.” 

Lesson 1: The power of journaling  

At the end of every chapter of Scott’s new book, readers will find a page to write down their personal thoughts and reflections on what they have read. In sharing his professional and personal story, Scott says he hopes to spark interest in others to do the same. “I'm a big proponent of journaling,” he explains. “I think inspiration comes oftentimes in the moment and can be fleeting and so I wanted to be tactical about that belief by giving people an opportunity to jot down what comes to them and maybe planting the seed for their own lessons going forward.”

In a world in which he sees increasing disconnection and divisiveness, Scott also considers sharing stories to be a vital way for people to connect and build community. 

Lesson 2: Being attentive to deposits and withdrawals 

While being an educator can be rewarding, burnout is a well-known risk. “Pouring out [for others] is just what we do” says Scott, who has been motivated throughout his career by a desire to see young people succeed. Among the many quotes included in Leading with Heart and Soul is one from psychologist Beverly Daniel Tatum: “If you’re going to do the work of educating children at a high level, it’s going to require that you make a lot of withdrawals.“ In response to that challenge, Scott, who is a Christian, writes about the “divine deposits” that have sustained him through prayer, and also about a hobby he discovered later in life which he says helps him to disconnect and recharge — playing golf.

Lesson 3: Being present for your loved ones 

Scott shares the joys and challenges he has experienced in trying to balance a demanding career, including his former role as chief academic officer in Boston Public Schools, with being a father and a husband. He has encountered other educational leaders who have made an impact with their work but whose families have suffered as a consequence, he says, and devotes a chapter to why “you can’t raise American’s children if yours don’t know you.” One step Scott took to connect with his three sons, Leon, Irvin, and Nicholas, as they were growing up, was to coach each of them in their favorite team sports: soccer, football, and basketball. 

Lesson 4: Following your passion and bringing your full self to the work

Scott believes it is important for educators to bring their passions and their full selves to their work. He loves singing and, when he was an English teacher at J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, served as director of the school’s gospel choir.  Nowadays, one of the courses Scott teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is called Faith, Education, and Leadership and, he says, he is in the process of creating a set of norms and practices for education leaders to be able to safely talk about their faith. A firm supporter of the separation of church and state, Scott says the process must involve educators of faith becoming better at listening to other people’s perspectives and not trying to convince them to think or believe what they do.