Preach it! Teach it!

One of my brightest young teachers shared a powerful quote with me this morning that seems to me pretty germane to educational leadership. "When we make a declarative statement, we can only do four things with it: we can restate it, explain it, prove it, or apply it." This quote, from Haddon W. Robinson's Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages, got him thinking and it's had me thinking all morning. I believe this statement has tremendous value not only for teachers but also for administrators and other educational leaders. I challenge you to approach the upcoming week with this idea framing each and every one of your declarative statements in the classroom, in the halls, in your office, in the workroom, or wherever you make a difference in the field of education.