For most people, the word "warrior" calls up an image of a forceful, aggressive person. Such is the image of Spartan warriors, whose mothers called upon them to return with their shields or on them.
But for the Tibetan Buddhist, the warrior is one who seems ordinary yet beneath the surface holds extraordinary strength. Armed not with weapons but with compassion and insight, such a person can come from any job or station but is ready at a moment's notice to defend life from powerful enemies. These warriors value courage, social justice, and excellence, and these values propel them into situations that would otherwise overcome them.
Jeffrey T. Brierton, PhD, has spent several decades in education. As a principal, he amassed many experiences that taught him the importance of a warrior's mind-set in his chosen field. As an educator of future teachers and principals, he found himself recounting these tales for the benefit of the next generation of educators. And now, as an author, he has recorded his stories to show the benefit of blending these ideas of what a warrior is-and what a warrior can be on behalf of today's students.
About the Author: Jeffrey T. Brierton, PhD, has worked in public education for thirty-seven years, the last ten of which he spent as the principal of two high schools in the Chicago area. He now works as a graduate internship supervisor in Concordia University's Principal Preparation Program in Chicago and as an undergraduate adjunct professor at National Louis University in nearby Wheeling.
Dr. Brierton has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science, education administration, educational leadership, and American history. He was also an armored cavalry scout and drill sergeant for the US Army Reserve for ten years.
Dr. Brierton is the coauthor of Ethics and Politics in School Leadership: Finding Common Ground and Leading with Resolve and Mastery: Competency-Based Strategies for Superintendent Success. He has four children and is married to an elementary educator.
