Even More On Power

03/20/2003

"It does not require many words to speak the truth."
–Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

EVEN MORE ON POWER

Every once in a while an ExchangeEveryDay story really touches a nerve. The February 19th story on "How to Use Power" is certainly one of those cases. We reprinted some reactions, both pro and con, in our February 26 edition. Today we share another sampling of reactions we have received:

M. Byrom: "I read your "power" article and laughed. For it was about people who really didn't have "power" . It was about people with raw ambition. Henry and the ilk really are just in hot pursuit to actually serve their own best self interests. The article was really about ambition or getting what you want - boil it down to self interest...at any cost (being dishonest, manipulative, etc) ...hmmm. Some food for thought... the really powerful people I have met have values of truth, compassion and tolerance and they aren't self serving. They leave a legacy of goodness and wonder far greater than themselves... Maybe we need to reflect on what we are really talking about here

Tirza White: "I too enjoyed the February 19 article on power. Power is a dynamic that exists in most relationships, adult/children relationships and employee/supervisor relationship. Learning how to use one's "power" to the benefit of an organization and in a way that motivates employees or diffuses a situation with a child is a valuable skill. Thank you for addressing the issue of power."

Carol Packwood: "Thank you for admitting that this was not appropriate. These devious ways are not how we want to live or model for our children."

Kathy Valentine: "I was delighted to read that others had similar reactions to the one I had about the comments made in the letter concerning power. I was struck by how it was a statement that told us to discourage creativity, initiative, leadership, and intellect. All of the requirements for success in life and promoting a better future for the world. It appeared to me to be a recipe for mediocrity and an effort to placate jealousy. It is not just inappropriate for early childhood but for any setting that wants to continue to strive for excellence."

For an article providing insights on the use of power in early childhood settings, check out "Power Lines - The Use and Abuse of Power in Child Care Programming" by Pauline Zeece. Go the Article Archives by clicking here and then type in Zeece in the search tool.

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