As a military brat and Marine wife, I sort of take pride in recognizing great leadership when I see it. Leadership in the Marine Corps means going the extra mile for your men and women, and often means sacrificing for them, setting an example and treating policies and people fairly and yes, with honor.

In an organization like the Marines, young men and women learn from the be-ginning about those who came before them, and live in a culture where good leadership is revered and given due appreciation. I learned about this the hard way early on, being married to a drill instructor who had all the attributes that make a D.I. great — he was loud, intimidating, and a creative disci-plinarian, for sure. But what most people don’t realize about D.I.s is that they don’t just watch their privates jump through the hoops. They are out there doing it all with them and coming home only every three or four days exhausted, sore, feet hurting, hungry and unable to talk due to the strain they put their voices through. In other words, they lead by example for the right result, and no amount of pain is too great. It was a startling education for me, just out of the University of Georgia and learning about real world responsibilities.

I can’t tell you how many times over the years I sat in an airport, waiting for my Marine to get home after a long deployment or a combat tour, only to find out he gave up his seat to another young enlistee or NCO who, he explained, had a family waiting at home for him. After I impressed upon my guy that he had a family now too, he’d just shake his head and say, "But they come first." And his selflessness humbled me.

So it was with interest that I watched the Cobb school district hire a supposed expert on leadership, an out-of-state educator who they thought was worthy of a high falutin title, big salary and even a position for his wife. But what have we gotten for our money? Does anyone see any leadership around here? Anybody?

As we head into the last week of the school year, it’s difficult not to look back on all of the horrendous moves the supposed leaders at Glover Street have made, and believe taxpayers have gotten anything for their money when it comes to the Deputy Superintendent for Leadership and Learning position (well, the title keeps morphing, but that’s the gist).

One PR disaster after the next, three grand jury investigations, the alienation of most of the teaching force and almost all parents who are paying attention — does that seem like good leadership? It doesn’t take an expert to see that it does not. Just who is supposedly benefitting from this "leadership" coach? Can anyone please share this information with us?