Dr. Mary Christopher Publishes Leadership Curriculum Book

Dr. Mary Christopher, professor of educational studies at HSU, has coauthored a leadership curriculum for use with gifted students in grades 3–6. The book, titled “Leadership for Kids: Curriculum for Building Intentional Leadership in Gifted Learners,” is available from Prufrock Press.

Christopher, who has been at HSU for 23 years and is also program director of the Masters in Gifted Education and Doctorate in Leadership programs, wrote the book with Cecelia Boswell, Ed.D., an education consultant with more than 40 years of experience in Texas education, and JJ Colburn, M.Ed., president and partner at Strategic Association Management in Austin, Texas.

“As I immersed myself in the study of leadership, I became passionate about developing future leaders, particularly among gifted students,” said Dr. Christopher.

Looking beyond current definitions and examples of leadership, “Leadership for Kids” offers teachers a framework to cultivate skills and abilities of leaders for this millennium.

“Gifted students who possess the seeds of gifted leadership are often expected to lead because of their intellectual capacities,” said Christopher. “Educators, schools, and student organizations assume gifted students can lead well. But, as with any potentiality, gifted abilities in leadership require development.”

The book features 40 mini-lessons that are structured around the four leadership frames— structural, human resource, political, and symbolic—developed by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal. The easy-to-implement lessons conclude with a section of stories about well-known leaders, discussion questions related to the stories, and a culminating activity that asks students to research, interview, and write about a leader of their choosing.

“I hope students will also develop their own story as a leader using the frames of leadership they develop through the activities in this book,” Dr. Christopher said. “By discovering, analyzing and sharing their own leader story, they will use the frames to meet challenges and influence others.”

Writing and publishing a book was a professional goal for Christopher. She is excited to achieve that goal and share the accomplishment with her coauthors. She is also looking forward to hearing stories from teachers and students who use the book as a resource.

“The real joy will come from impacting the lives of children as they develop leadership knowledge and skills,” she said.